New York offshore lakes wind project seeks ideas

LOS ANGELES, April 23 (Reuters) – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said on Thursday the call to develop offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes by the New York Power Authority may help open up offshore wind development in the United States.

The United States in 2008 surpassed Germany as the leading producer of wind power, but there are no U.S. installed offshore turbines. All Of the 1,471 megawatts of global offshore wind capacity installed by the end of 2008 was in Europe.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) call planning help developing wind energy in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie may not lead to the first offshore turbines in the United States, but the fact that a power purchaser is leading the way may help its chances, said Laurie Jodziewicz of the AWEA.

“There is a purchaser of power right there and that shows a new level of interest and some new possibilities,” said Jodziewicz, the AWEA manager of siting policy and lead offshore wind advisor.

Reuters UK