NYSERDA to measure wind at New York offshore site

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on Friday sought comments on a draft plan to measure wind speed and ocean waves at a wind energy site off the coast of Long Island.

The US Department of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will conduct a lease auction for the site on December 15. NYSERDA plans to participate in the bidding.

Its wind and wave measurement plan involves the use of Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) technology mounted on two buoys that are expected to collect data for 12 to 24 months. The data will then be made available for public use with the aim of reducing uncertainty for developers and their sponsors and hence project costs.

This is one of several pre-development assessments that NYSERDA intends to carry out at the site in order to lower costs and shorten development time. Other initiatives include wildlife surveys, data collection about the characteristics of the sea bottom, environmental impact studies of an offshore wind project at the site, and engineering specifications for bringing the electricity to shore.

NYSERDA plans to bundle the results from the studies with an offtake agreement for the electricity to be generated at the site, and hold competitive bidding on the package for interested developers. It said its approach is modeled after a similar one employed in Europe.

Offshore wind is important part of New York State's target of securing 50% of its electricity supply from renewables by 2030.

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