In August 2008, NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a windmill power plan. His ambitious plan would involve putting windmill turbines on city skyscrapers, bridges and coastlines to generate renewable energy. It seems like a good idea in theory, but has faced a lot opposition. Bloomberg's plan is to place these wind turbines on the windy coast off Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island with hopes of generating 10 percent of the city's electricity needs in 10 years. see article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/nyregion/20windmill.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=Wind%20turbine%20New%20York%20City&st=cse&oref=slogin
It is hard to be overly optimistic about this plan. Firstly, the idea was proposed over five months ago and has not received much attention ever since. Secondly, Bloomberg has pushed other ambitious proposals in the past like the congestion pricing plan for Manhattan that never came through. A windmill power plan may prove to be more unrealistic than a congestion pricing plan but has the potential to be extraordinary with state and federal support. I wonder though how other stakeholders are responding to this. We cannot forget that Quebec is New York state's main electricity supplier. Quebec's electricity is overwhelmingly powered by hydro-electric dams which has faced a lot controversy over the past 10 years.
Key message: Bloomberg's plan needs better foresight. Placing wind turbines on bridges, skyscrapers and coastlines is feasible but needs more support. Nothing like this has ever been attempted in North America before. Will it change NYC's image as a green city? Only time will tell and Bloomberg has some work to do.
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