Brooklyn has installed the first large-scale wind turbine in New York City at the Sunset Park.
The wind turbine is scheduled to provide power for a recycling plant on a pier at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
The turbine has been built at a total expenditure of $750,000 and including the blades it stands at 160 feet tall.
The turbine with a 100 KW capacity is expected to provide 4 percent of the energy used by the plant, which is owned and operated by Sims Metal Management from Australia.
Since 2013, the plant recycles a major portion of the city’s waste materials and uses 16 percent of energy generated from roof top solar panels.
The wind turbine has been operating since Dec. 17, 2014 generating up to 100 kilowatts per hour.
Aegis Renewable Energy was responsible for installing the wind turbine, which was manufactured by Northern Power Systems.
The effort to install a wind turbine in Brooklyn began from 2008.
Steady winds of at least 10 miles per hour are required for the new turbine’s blades to spin and the spinning stops when winds reach 55 m.p.h.
The Sunset Park waterfront’s wide-open nature makes it a prime spot for harvesting wind.
The recycling facility is engaged in various sustainability efforts in addition to its renewable energy programs.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provided $130,000 toward the cost of the turbine.
The agency has so far given grants for 200 windmills in the state over the last eight years.
Sabeena Wahid
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