Earlier this week, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) released a request for proposals for the development of offshore wind power projects in the New York State waters of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, or both. According to the NYPA, this initiative represents the first wind power development in a fresh water body in the United States. Other offshore wind power initiatives in the Great Lakes include the acquisition of a 4.4 gigawatt project by the Canadian energy company Canadian Hydro and the exploration of such projects by U.S. firms such as Duke Energy.
The Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project aims to generate 120 to 500 megawatts of power. One megawatt powers about 800 homes in New York. The successful implementation of the project would help New York meet its requirements under the state’s renewable portfolio standard, which requires that 25 percent of its electricity come from renewable sources by 2013.
Proposals from developers are due on June 1, 2010, and the state will announce any winners by December 2010. Power purchase agreements are to be completed by May 31, 2011.
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