According to this C|Net report, New York state wants someone to build wind farms in the great lakes and purchase all the power if they’re built. That’s nice to hear, but it’s not a great PR move after their attempt to build them off Long Island generated so much controversy. I’d like to see more Wind Farms in New York as well, especially since they have lots of sailing water on the East side of the state.

I did find it interested that wind farms offshore cost about double as onshore ones. That shouldn’t be surprising with all the below water anchoring needed, but it is for me. I somehow was thinking they’d be comparable since you have to anchor both to handle stresses.

The payback might be better since water has more wind across it, the temperature changes more rapidly and so more power can be generated. Of course maintenance might be higher, not just with the windmill, but also with the cabling that crosses the water. Salt water is incredibly corrosive, so that can be an issue.