N. CAROLINA WIND LOOKS OFFSHORE

Outer Banks wind farm planned; Outer Banks firm laying groundwork
John Murawski, September 6, 2009 (McClatchy via The Sun News)

"…For more than a year, a tiny Chapel Hill company has been laying plans for [an Outer Banks wind energy project the size of a small town] that would catapult North Carolina into a national leadership role in offshore wind energy development. Outer Banks Ocean Energy Corp. is eyeing federal waters about 25 miles offshore…

"An offshore wind farm has yet to be built in this country, and the hurdles are formidable. North Carolina is considered to have excellent wind resources, but fierce opposition has shot down proposals to build commercial wind projects in the mountains and on the coast."

N. Carolina has tremendous offshore wind assets... (click to enlarge)

"The planned Cape Lookout Energy Preserve likely would have to overcome intense public criticism and rigorous environmental scrutiny...could take seven years and would cost at least $900 million…[H]urricane-resistant towers [would be secured] to the ocean floor…Outers Banks…considers wind one of the country's best energy options…[and] plans to hold community meetings in the state's coastal counties to introduce the project to the public. The company also will apply for a federal permit to build towers in the ocean to test wind speeds.

"…[Wind energy is] the fastest-growing form of renewable power [in the U.S.]…Wall Street financiers and state governments are betting on wind power and other forms of renewable energy as states enact renewable mandates and Congress debates global warming legislation. The Obama Administration's stimulus package will pump in $3 billion to cover 30 percent of the costs…"

...And so do a lot of other states. (click to enlarge)

"…North Carolina lags other states that offer financial incentives and...[compromised] with opponents of offshore wind farms…[but is expected] to follow the lead of other states. Outer Banks' proposed 200-megawatt wind farm would [not be visible 25 miles from shore and would] generate enough power for about 42,000 homes. The project would require underwater transmission cables costing at least $2 million per mile to come ashore over beaches, dunes or wetland…[The proposed project] consists of [at least 50] oversize, three-blade propellers that turn tower-mounted generators…for the first phase…Plans call for eventually tripling the size of the wind farm to at least 150 towers spread out over 54 square miles if demand for the electricity increases.

"The Cape Lookout Energy Preserve wouldn't generate electricity until 2014 at the earliest…The Chapel Hill company still would have to run detailed studies on sea bed formation, bird flight patterns and fish movements, as well as commercial shipping lanes and military training zones. Large offshore tracts likely would be removed from consideration by conflicting recreational, environmental, commercial and military uses…The blades could pose a threat to birds, and the towers could confuse sea turtles and other marine animals...Outer Banks…will need $38 million to $45 million for the initial environmental and engineering studies…Support from [Progress Energy and Duke Energy, the state's most powerful utilities,] depends on how much they would have to pay for the electricity…"