Bloomberg proposes windmills on New York City bridges, skyscrapers...

What most people are missing is that you cannot just stick a windmill on the roof of an old existing building. you need to have a support structure in place to allow for the huge strain that something like that puts on a building. Sticking skinny radio anntenae up there is one thing, but a huge windmill is actually deflecting all of that energy into movement of the turbines. Realistically, right now it is not cost effective to implement such designs, it is easier and cheaper to build the windfarms off site, in the country, on a hilltop or in the sea, and bring the power to the city. you would acheive the same "green-ness" and fewer buildings and construction cranes would fall on us.

NYC the greenest city on Earth?

What reality does Bloomberg live in?

More or less this is a great idea I think. Yes, sure it isn't the most beautiful thing; but it could be looked at as a symbol of turning industrialization into sustainability. More importantly though, I don't think the mayor actually thinks the Brooklyn Bridge holds the solution. He is more for using the New York Atlantic Ocean for wind power. All in all it is great that the Mayor of New York cares so much. If NYC can go green no other city in this country has an excuse not to do so. I think the Brooklyn Bridge photo is more of a show than an actual proposal.

I was just in Israel and in Jerusalem most have solar panels on their roofs to heat water and for other uses...definitely something that should be looked into; perhaps those can go on top of the Bridge instead.

Its a cool idea, but there's an oldschool part of me that doesn't want to see the skyscape change. I'm still not used to what it looks like without the towers. But it's hard to believe that their is any wind in or around manhattan if you have ever been in midtown on an august afternoon.

I like how everyone thinks that there is no way NYC will ever been a 'green' city. It already is. The average New Yorker makes 7.1 metric tons of greenhouse gases, with Manhattanites at only 5 metric tons. The national average is 24.5. The average New Yorker consumes less than half the electricity used by a resident of San Francisco and nearly one-quarter the electricity consumed by a resident of Dallas. NYC is also going to have an all hybrid taxi system by 2012. New York is one of only four major cities in the United States with drinking water pure enough not to require purification by water treatment plants. The city is also a leader in the construction of energy-efficient green office buildings, including the Hearst Tower. Mass transit use in New York City is the highest in United States and gasoline consumption in the city is at the rate the national average was in the 1920s. New York City's high rate of transit use saved 1.8 billion gallons of oil in 2006; New York saves half of all the oil saved by transit nationwide. Plus, its NEW YORK CITY!! Unless you live there, don't knock it.

I'd give Bloomberg a chance. At least he's starting a conversation about it. I think local governments regulating themselves out of morality is a great idea.
When one state does something, trends catch.

do it, NYC!

With the windspeeds you get up near the top of those bug skyscrapers you could generate some serious power...

This would be a welcome change of view to the skyline in any of our major cities. I heard that somewhere there's a presidential candidate looking for a veep. Just in case Michael is looking for a job. This is change we can all live with.

Brilliant! GET TO IT PLEASE!

bandwaggon jumper...

Though, I'm all for it. I don't mind the visual impact it will have.
Sooner or later something like this has to happen anyway.

That's just Bloomberg posturing as a Green.

MissAmanda- Have YOU seen NYC?
Because if so you would not call it an eyesore or an "armpit". NYC has some of the most amazing architecture, parks and scenery in the entire world including but not limited to Central Park, Grand Central Station, the Guggenheim, Times Square, I mean, I could go on and on.
Nothing can "save" it? What are we "saving" it from? Culture? Art? Music? Beauty? Everyplace has it's imperfections, but if you're calling NYC an armpit you must be sorely MISINFORMED!

Meanwhile, I think this is a great idea! The more alternative energy the better!

great idea and unlike some others i dont think it will be an eye sore because NY for the most part is already an eye sore... this might actually make the place look a little better..

This could be just the right thing to do

New York is a major superpower and adding something innovative, such as wind energy, could be just the spark this country needs.

Sounds like he's trying to get some attention for his would-be campaign.

you people are ridiculous.

an "eyesore"? "will it be visually attractive"?

have you seen New York City?

It's an armpit. It's gross. It has a film all over it, uptown, downtown, bronx, brooklyn, manhattan.

nothing can save it, but I think trying to make it a little more energy efficent is worth the extra effort.

Okay, so it would look bad and I really doubt New York could ever be completely "green," but why NOT use windmills here? There's loads of space and plenty of wind. As far as I can tell, there's absolutely no reason we shouldn't have windmills on the tall buildings in big cities.

bloomberg is a joke.

Looks like more of an empty political proposal than anything else.

I think this is a great idea. Even the smallest blackout causes a big mess in New York City.

It sounds like a great idea. A major city that uses a lot of energy going green could be a role model. Hey if New York can do it, why can't Pittsburgh. If New York can, then our little community can. Motivation

Great idea and kudos to him for atleast looking for a solution.

Eyesore???? Better than SMOG!

awesome!

this sounds eco-friendly, but would it be visually attractive?

Fuck the wind turbines, PV cells are pretty and you can put them everywhere. Our cities would look beautiful if they all looked that lustrius deep blue. Not to mention the nearly endless list of positives.

just put more ashtrays around the city. NYC could never be a green city.

This idea has been around scenec the 70's. This is a great idea. produce the power where it is used. our current power grid is inefficient for many reason one of witch is that you lose so much power in transmitting power over long distances. Localized utilities are the way of the sustainable future. check out vertical axis wind turbines. realistic and not an eyesore. constution of and maitence of wind mill creats jobs and will can make money for local firms.

Conservation needs to be the focus but conservation does not make people money and it sucks.

I think this is a great goal to shoot for and all cities should be doing this. It makes sense on a lot of different levels.

it would be great if all of us could find a greener way to live

Seems like a very unrealistic plan.

Not to mention an eyesore.