When Sims Municipal Recycling applied for a permit to build a wind turbine at its Sunset Park facility, the organization couldn’t have known it would take four years to receive approval. One reason for the delay is that the wind turbine at Sims is the first large-scale commercial-use turbine in the city, so there were no cases to compare it to.
“It’s sad how long it takes,” a representative from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) told Ars Technica. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was on hand at the ceremony to publicly introduce the turbine and he concurred that the wait time was completely “unacceptable.”
Considering that the power source is expected to pay for itself within five years, there would probably be a lot more people investing in a wind turbine if it weren’t so unbelievably difficult to get permission for one. If the city is going to meet it’s stated goal of a 30% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030, it really should look into ways to make it easier for people to help.
(Photo: Imagine_IPD)
