What is the siting criteria for Long Island Sound?
The wind resource is the most important criteria. An average 18 mph wind speed is essential, with a water depth of 50 feet or shallower. Proximity to shore is also important, as LIPA wants to install a power line that’s less than 3 miles long. The amount of contiguous water area is also important. LIPA began by selecting an area 5 miles wide and 80 miles long. The second phase eliminated much of that area by tightening water depth constraints. It’s also important for the location to be easily accessible with minor environmental impacts. Bird and fishing impacts were also considered. Using these criteria LIPA was able to eliminate 85-90 percent of the initial area. LIPA will ask developers to provide a proposal considering archaeological factors, habitats, and other concerns. What is the importance of wave height? Will developers always aim for lower wave conditions? Given a choice of sites, relatively shallow water and benign wave heights are preferable. Breaking waves have a lot of po
