Dowling College Public Policy Institute Questions Costs in Local Wind Farm Plan Dowling College: News
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Dowling College Public Policy Institute Questions Costs in Local Wind Farm Plan

OAKDALE, NY - A study conducted by Dowling College Professor Dr. Mark Greer, through the school's Long Island Economic and Social Policy's Center for Alternative Energy, raises numerous questions about the wind farm off Jones Beach.

Dr. Greer, employing information supplied by Newsday and existing industry models, determined that there was a $100 million gap between Florida Power and Light's cost to construct windmills capable of providing 144 megawatts of power and industry norms. Greer said that "wind generated energy may well be in Long Island's future, but this contract should not."

Dr. Greer noted, "The profits and rate of return to FPL could be as much as 19 percent, with electric rates paid doubling in the contract's out years." Martin Cantor, LIESP Director, added that "this is enormous considering the 10 to 12 percent rate of return that is currently considered acceptable to undertake the risks of entrepreneurship."

Cantor concluded, "The issues raised by Dr. Greer emphasize the need for transparency on the part of LIPA as they go through the process of entering into a contract of this magnitude. The future of the Long Island economy demands no less."

About Dowling College

Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor′s, Master′s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.