The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is seeking comments on a draft plan to measure wind speed and ocean waves at the offshore wind site off Long Island which it plans to bid for on 15 December.
The draft plan – known as MetOcean – calls for the use of lidar technology mounted on two buoys to obtain wind and wave data.
“Accurate wind speed and direction measurements are critical to predicting offshore wind energy production potential at the site, and ocean waves impact the cost of building offshore wind facilities,” NYSERDA said.
The buoys would be in place for 12 to 24 months with the associated data to be made available for public use, it added.
Comments are due by 15 December.
The MetOcean project is one of several assessments NYSERDA plans to conduct, such as wildlife and seabed surveys, environmental impact studies and engineering specifications for bringing the electricity to shore.
NYSERDA plans to bundle the results from the various studies with an offtake agreement for the electricity to be produced at the site, and hold competitive bidding on the package for companies interested in developing the site.
Image: Long Island, New York state (Wikimedia Commons)
