Long Island’s First Offshore Wind Conference

 July 31, 2012. Melville, NY-

LIOWCcover

Long Island’s First Offshore Wind Conference

 “You mean there isn’t a set policy that supersedes all the political nonsense?”

The question posed by an audience member who, like for others nationwide, the little lightbulb has gone off as they start to understand why we have so little renewable energy.

Today the Long Island Association (LIA) hosted Long Island’s first Offshore Wind Conference.

Hundreds of legislators, business leaders, environmentalists, renewable energy advocates and concerned citizens were on hand as Long Islanders took the next step towards entering the offshore wind era.

Pete Grannis

Pete Grannis, First Deputy Comptroller for NY State © 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

 

Pete Grannis, First Deputy Comptroller for NY State opened things speaking about “perpetual investments” the state makes in order to protect the future of their pension fund, and the analogy to Renewable Energy is quite obvious…and in that, we haven’t been investing. “The cost of inaction is huge.”

He said we are continuously “faced with a false choice: allowing current levels of pollution versus disrupting business”.

 

Catherine Bowes, National Wildlife Federation

Catherine Bowes, National Wildlife Federation
© 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

 

Next Catherine Bowes From National Wildlife Federation spoke about her group’s pressing need to get the word out that “climate change is the single greatest threat to wildlife”… and thus they are “100% committed to large-scale Renewable Energy projects” like the offshore wind proposals being talked about.

 

 

 

Gordian Raacke

Gordian Raacke of Renewable Energy LI
© 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island, Gordian Raacke spoke next with a great presentation showing how fossil fuel is to rotary phone as renewable energy is to smart phone.   Our power plants are from the rotary phone era, that’s the “modern technology” we’re living with.   In comparing the two, “Renewable Energy requires back-up… and costs a little more, but does so much more:

  • pollution free,
  • predictible price,
  • no water usage/destruction,
  • greater economic development
  • locally produced energy = money kept in the local economy, “
Adrienne Esposito, Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment

Adrienne Esposito, Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment
© 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Adrienne Esposito, the outspoken voice of Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment gave a lively and informative presentation.  “LIPA is making decisions now how they will generate the next 2000 Megawatts they need, what will we choose? We need to choose generation with the least impact: wind”.

She went on to highlight that inaction is not an option, “saying no to wind, is saying yes to more fossil fuel and nuclear power… unless you’re turning off your lights.”

 

Kevin Law, Long Island Association

Kevin Law, Long Island Association
© 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Next followed the panel discussion “Economic Benefits of Offshore Wind for NY”. Moderated by LIA’s Kevin Law, who explained why the previous offshore proposal died:

It was too small thus too expensive –> needs economy of scale.

It was too close, thus too controversial –> eliminate the visual impact.

He explained that LIPA had unused land and proposed using that land for large turbine manufacturing, creating both an economical and convenient launch for any offshore wind farm… with further economical development potential as a manufacturing base for other farms.

 

“Economic Benefits of Offshore Wind for NY” panel

“Economic Benefits of Offshore Wind for NY” panel members (l-r): Karsten Moeller, Siemens Energy; Bill Moore, Deepwater Wind; Carol Murphy, Alliance for Clean Energy New York
© 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Key Quotes from the Panel:

Karsten Moeller; “Long-term stable regulations secret to renewables’ European success”

Bill Moore; “Wind energy can actually REDUCE ALL OTHER energy generation costs by 2.5 cents / kWh” and “Sea Breeze: Peak output coincides with peak demand”.

Carol Murphy; “8000 mw of renewable energy can be added without affecting grid reliability” and “every 1000 MW of Wind saves $300 million in worldwide energy costs.

 

Congressman Tim Bishop at Long Island Offshore Wind Conference

Congressman Tim Bishop addresses both national and local-level renewable energy and environmental issues. © 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Keynote speaker, congressman Tim Bishop was up next, and he didn’t disappoint. He spoke mainly of the difficulties he has in dealing with these issues in the face of unfathomable, and logically unexplainable opposition.  “We are paralyzed because of the political difficulty that exists”…

“We are facing a denial of fact.. In energy policy..and to climate change,” he said.  “An alarming number of my colleagues are in full-blown denial about what science is clear on.”

When asked by an audience member if he thought they really believed this denialist position, or was this “just politics”, he said “I have to take them at their face value that they really believe in their position” because “the consequences of not dealing with this family of issues is so dire… I hope my colleagues will see this is an avoidable crisis that is not to be ignored.”

He did add, when asked if money was to blame for the seemingly incongruent and completely hypocritical stances of the opposition, that “so far, for this year’s presidential election, 25% of all of the donated money has come from just 16 people”. 

When asked what we can do to get the word out to the average voter, he said, “All we can do is just provide people with the facts…and hope they accept those facts.”

In positive news, to free up money to further renewables, he said we should look at lifting the cap on private activity bonds.

 

Frank Murray Chair NYSERDA preesents

Frank Murray Chair NYSERDA preesents “Offshore Wind: Where Are We Now?” © 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

"Offshore Wind: Where Are We Now?"  panel

“Offshore Wind: Where Are We Now?” panel (l-r): Robin Shanen, NYPA; Todd Stebbins, LIPA; Michael Snyder NYS DOS: Offshore Planning for Wind
© 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of special interest was the final panel “Offshore Wind: Where Are We Now?”  Moderator, Frank Murray of NYSERDA presented “NYS Coastal Management Program’s Offshore Wind Energy Planning” where he explained offshore wind is “inevitible”, and thus it is being planned for.  He said “innovation will be the key to our economic resurgence.”

He said NYSERDA “can provide good reseacrch investments to indentify projects with benefits reaching beyond our local area”. 

He asked YOU, the public get involved with the State Energy Plan:

NYSERDA seeks your input on their energy plan

Please click this picture to give NYSERDA your input on their Energy Plan

 “Offshore wind is a key element and this will be a public process. Please read the plan for Wind and/or Solar and let them have YOUR input.” 

All Our Energy says- You Can Do So here:

 

A fascinating day. 

We welcome the beginning of the Offshore Wind Era to Long Island.

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