North Carolina first to host off-shore wind turbines

North Carolina could soon be host to the first offshore energy-generating wind turbines in the country.

Duke Energy and UNC signed a contract last week to begin work in Pamlico Sound, one of the state’s most recent efforts at expanding its alternative energy base.

Because of the difficulty and expense involved with offshore installation, Duke Energy is helping fund the project.

The company will cover all installation costs. The goal is to have the turbines in place by next year, said Tim Pettit, spokesman for Duke Energy.

“This has potential to create a lot of jobs, lots of investment in the state and certainly would do a lot to move Carolina in the direction of eco-friendliness,” Pettit said.

But North Carolina isn’t the only place experimenting with wind power. A similar pilot project was recently launched by a private company in Rhode Island.

“It’s a matter of who’s going to get the turbines first,” said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services at UNC.

The decision to install the wind turbines was made following a UNC study led by Elfland that examined the potential benefits of energy generated by wind turbines.

Elfland divided faculty members into groups and asked them to look at the various environmental problems the project could pose to birds and marine life.

Areas that posed no conflict were mapped in a computer system to determine the best location. The turbines could provide a habitat for oysters and even increase tourism in the area, she said.

 “We laid all the maps on top of each other and when there were high conflicts, we eliminated those areas. When you look at that map, the only area in state water is within Pamlico Sound,” Elfland said.

The researchers also went to Buxton, a town near the proposed installation site, to field residents’ questions in a meeting.

Elfland said the plan was well-received.

“People who didn’t have positive comments were in the minority,” she said.

The project comes from the state legislature’s desire to find more alternative sources of energy for the state.

The N.C. General Assembly delegated a feasibility study last summer on offshore wind energy and chose UNC to conduct it.

N.C. Rep. Joe Tolson, D-Edgecombe, vice chairman of the energy and energy efficiency committee, said the project was an important step in reaching their goals of becoming more sustainable.

“I think we got to look at wind, solar to try to help us meet the future energy needs,” Tolson said.

“Its just a matter of seeing how this works, see what it generates, what a difference it makes.”



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