Wind and waves to the rescue (alternative power in RI - year in review)

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.blockislandtimes.com/articles/2008/01/07/news/news1.txt

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The state commissioned a study, and Rhode Island Commissioner of Energy Resources Andrew Dzykewicz announced in a series of on-island presentations that two of the prime locations for a wind farm are off the shores of Block Island.

If approved, said Dzykewicz, there could be as many as 100 wind turbines, standing 450 feet high with blades extended, complete with foghorns and lights, anywhere from a mile to three miles south of the island. Though there was concern about the loss of viewshed, the potential upside was considerable: the farm would require the creation of a long-sought (but extremely expensive) power cable to the mainland, which could detour to the island and alleviate the exorbitant electricity rates the island chafes under (Block Island Power Company, already charging some of the highest rates for electricity in the nation, filed for a 19 percent rate increase in November).

Soon after the release of the study, a New York-based company, Allco, made public its application to build wind farms in many of the same locales identified in the state-funded study. At press time, the status of Allco’s application before the Coastal Resources Conservation Commission was uncertain, but Dzykewicz in particular voiced his reservation about the company’s intentions.

No such hesitation was evident December 4, when Dzykewicz and the governor signed a letter of intent with Oceanlinx, originally an Australian firm now based in London, to place a 1.5-megawatt floating wave chamber off the island’s southeast side. The wave machine, expected to cost approximately $4 million, would provide energy directly to the island. If successful, the state would work with the company to establish a $40 million 15-20 megawatt facility to power the rest of the state.

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