The South Shore of Long Island is known for its beaches. Massapequa residents flock to Tobay Beach year-round. Surf casting, ice fishing and walking along the white sandy water's edge in the winter months are as popular as swimming and catching a few rays on a beach blanket. However, gazing out over the ocean to watch the sunrise or an occasional cruise ship, tanker or pleasure boats sail by, soon may be distorted by a proposed wind farm. A project that would include 40 turbines said to produce a total of 140 megawatts that would generate enough energy to power 44,000 Long Island homes would be located between Jones Beach and the Robert Moses State Park. Some South Shore residents have said that because the 260-foot high turbine towers will be five miles off shore that they would hardly be visible from the beaches or the Ocean Parkway.

According to published reports, the pros and cons of wind power and fossil fuel generation methods lean toward wind power. Community meetings, as well as permitting and environmental studies, are already under way with commercial operation expected by 2008.

Florida Power & Light Energy (FPL) will construct, own and operate the wind park. The company will sell the output for the facility to the Long Island Power Authority. The FPL Group is one of the nation's largest providers of clean electric power. FPL Energy is the leading United States owner and operator of wind energy, with net ownership of more than 2,800 megawatts with 44 facilities in 15 states. Overall, FPL Energy operates power plants with more than 11,000 megawatts of generation throughout the nation, including two facilities in New York State. Wind power represents approximately 25 percent of the company's portfolio, with more than 90 percent being fueled by renewable or clean burning sources, including operation of the world's two largest solar plants in California.

A turbine rotor has three blades approximately 182 feet long. The turbines can produce electricity at wind speeds as low as 8 miles per hour and reach their peak production between 27 and 36 miles per hour. Turbines shut down at wind speeds beyond 56 miles per hour. When there is no prevailing wind a backup electrical supply is needed. If batteries provide the backup, they have the disadvantage of being very expensive and needing to be replaced every few years, However, wind farms that are in operation and located offshore or on high elevations seem to always catch a breeze so backup power is rarely needed.

A few weeks ago Greenpeace docked its newest ship, Witness, at the Robert Moses State Park to show its support for the wind farm plan. Kate Smolski, a spokeswoman for Greenpeace, said her group has a reputation for defending the ocean and it "wouldn't support wind farms if they were detrimental to the environment," According to LIPA Chairman Richard Kessel, the company has submitted various federal permit applications and hopes to begin an environmental impact statement later this summer. He stated that the wind park could be completed as early as 2008.

U.S. News & World Report published a story stating that evidence is hard to miss, such as the five wind turbines near the Atlantic City's casinos. One hundred twenty turbines near the Tug Hill ski area in upstate New York yield power for nearly 60,000, homes helping the state generate a fourth of its electricity from green sources by 2013.

North Shore Islanders have a similar situation to deal with. Broadwater Energy Inc. of Huston wants to build a 1,200-foot floating liquefied natural gas terminal halfway between Wading River and the Connecticut Shore. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has yet to rule on the Huston company's proposal. The United States Coast Guard, who holds the key to the safety aspects of placing liquefied natural gas terminals in the Long Island Sound, have not made any decisions on the Huston company's proposal.

All Long Islanders have a lot to think about. But, remember "not all of our energy needed can come from the ground forever." Some will have to come from the clean free wind.

John H. Meyer