Winds of change; UNC leads state in energy project

At the request of the N.C. General Assembly UNC is looking into the feasibility of using wind energy from the state's coast to power campus.

The project is in its initial phase of planning" and the University is gathering data about placing wind turbines in the waters of coastal North Carolina.

""Right now it's a study to see what the real power potential is in Eastern North Carolina"" said Cindy Shea, director of the UNC Sustainability Office.

Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Services Carolyn Elfland has also been involved in talks on this project.

She said the study is divided into three groups, and each is examining different components of the project. The groups are composed of faculty members and students.

The first group is researching wind as a source of energy, while the second group is studying the potential environmental impact and concerns.

Law school faculty members and students make up the last group, to figure out possible barriers to the project.

We're trying to divide this into some phases" do some rough calculations and make sure it looks feasible Elfland said. The big deal now is collecting the data" that's one of the bigger pieces of the puzzle.""

Elfland said the United Kingdom has constructed offshore wind turbines. Although several states are looking into placing wind turbines in offshore waters"" there are currently no wind turbines in water in the United States.

""Some faculty and students in marine sciences have been doing research on winds in the sounds of North Carolina" and we might tap into that information" Shea said.

Harvey Seim, a professor of marine sciences involved in the study, said the two biggest environmental concerns right now are birds and bats.

Wind turbines might disturb coastal wildlife and interfere with the animals' migratory pathways.

Other challenges to the project include economic costs and the ability to transport energy through less developed areas of the state.

Although Elfland said that the research phase hopefully should be wrapped up by summer 2009, those involved in the project are still working on compiling all the requisite information.

The funding has yet to show up" so we're really just still planning it" Seim said.

It should show up soon.""



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