City wants wind turbines on buildings

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, seeking to make good on his promise to make New York City green by the year 2030, proposed last month at the 2008 National Clean Energy Summit to develop off-shore wind farms and put wind turbines atop some of the city’s tallest bridges, buildings and skyscrapers.

Though specific structures have not yet been named, buildings such as the Empire State Building, which reaches a height of 1,250 feet, more than meet the requirements to generate sustainable wind power. The average wind speed in the city is 12 mph, which surpasses the minimum of 10 mph needed for wind energy. The New York City Economic Development Corporation released a Request for Expressions of Interest last month, asking organizations to propose innovative ideas for the development of renewable energy sources. Responses to RFEI are due Sept. 19.

Aides to the mayor said the current administration has been considering establishing wind farms along the windy coast off Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island. Wind turbines could generate up to 10 percent of the city’s power within 10 years, they said.

In 2007 NYU bought 132 million kilowatt-hours of wind power from Florida Power & Light, enough to fully meet the university’s anticipated use of purchased electricity. NYU has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as one of the leading universities in green-power purchases.

Wind energy, though comparable in cost with fossil fuels and therefore competitive, is still relatively more expensive than traditional energy resources.

Bloomberg, an independent who’s said he considers the current energy crisis to be the nation’s primary issue, said in his keynote speech at the summit, “I think it would be a thing of beauty if, when Lady Liberty looks out on the horizon, she not only welcomes new immigrants, but lights their way with a torch powered by an ocean windfarm.”

But NYU’s wind power purchase doesn’t appeal to some students.

“It’s still paying Con Ed,” said CAS junior Molly Anderson, vice president of Earth Matters at NYU, in reference to the Consolidated Edison, Inc., an energy company that has generated controversy over its steam pipe failures that have resulted in deaths in the past.

The costliness of the initial implementation of wind turbines means that energy efficiency and practicality are not a guarantee. Under Bloomberg, the city has moved toward using alternative energy, including the installation of tidal turbines under the East River.

Jeremy Friedman, the project coordinator of NYU’s Sustainability Task Force, has been instrumental in the university’s efforts to conserve energy.

Regarding NYU’s purchase of wind energy, Friedman said, “It’s really only the tip of the iceberg,” adding that this initiative is just one of a “major set of energy-related projects at NYU.”

Friedman, a Gallatin alumnus, also said conservation and avoiding waste are progressive actions for reducing energy use. NYU has already begun tracking water consumption in all buildings and has increased local and organic food options in campus dining halls.


Vanessa Liu and Rob Wang are contributing writers. E-mail them at citystate@nyunews.com.

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