I stood atop the Empire State building one day not too long ago and looked out at the vista that is Manhattan from above – sort of. My Yankees cap nearly blew off my head, the wind being so strong up there. I held my cap on with my hand and commented about the winds. My friend pointed to the CitiCorp Building at 53rd-54th Street and told me a short story:

All the skyscrapers in Manhattan all sway from the wind. Even the Empire State, the one we are standing on, sways from the wind. Not to worry, they don’t sway all that much, maybe only a few inches, a foot but not so much as you would notice. (I was beginning to get a bit nervous. Here he is telling me the building, concrete and steel, is swaying from wind! Not the most reassuring concept for someone standing on the 102nd floor) Now, the Citi Corp building is a special case. The width and the height along with the fact that there are powerful winds coming upriver from the bay cause it to really catch the wind. So much so that the engineers couldn’t design enough sway in the structure. They came up with a truly marvel idea. Up on the 59th floor there is a 410 ton concrete block that acts as a counter balance to adjust for the sway.

Some story he told. I was amazed at the power of those winds. What if we could take that power and convert it into energy? Of course that is what this article is about. Mayor Bloomberg announced this week a plan to place electricity producing turbines (windmills) atop the city’s highest buildings, bridges and other structures. Brilliant! I say. Sure there are a number of nay-sayers decrying all the problems that have to be overcome, but they can all keep sitting on their lazy asses and let the innovators and ground breakers accomplish, achieve and succeed while they find something else to whine about.What better place then atop a city that sucks down electricity like an old drunk does a cheap bottle of wine. A city that has buildings that reach right up into the high winds of the stratosphere (well, not quite – but you get the idea). It could be a model for all cities of the future; buildings that incorporate a turbine right in their initial design, a turbine capable of producing more electricity than it needs, supporting the surrounding smaller buildings and the rest of the city.Maybe then we wouldn’t need so many fossil fuel burning or nuclear reactor power plants spewing pollutants into our air or threatening us with a melt down and radioactive contamination.

Yes, indeed, hats off to Mayor Bloomberg, blown off if you’re on the observation deck of the Empire State building!