BUXTON -- After lagging behind other East Coast states in developing wind as an energy source, North Carolina is preparing to plunge in with a test program with one to three wind towers in Pamlico Sound.
Duke Energy and UNC-Chapel Hill are finishing the details of a contract that would have the company build the towers as early as next year. UNC-CH researchers would use the towers to answer questions about environmental impacts, maintenance and other issues.
The plans were mostly well received Friday by state and local leaders who gathered in Buxton to talk about the possibilities of wind energy. Some Outer Banks residents and business leaders, though, expressed concern about what large wind turbines might do to the ocean views sought by tourists.
Gov. Beverly Perdue told a crowd of a few hundred beach dwellers that North Carolina has a chance to be "a global leader in green energy." She said that would create jobs and help the environment.
But she said North Carolina is in competition with other states pursuing the same economic benefits.
"They want to be the one to get the gold," she said. "North Carolina is going to do as much as we can do as safely as we can do it."
Task force promised
Perdue said earlier in the week that she would appoint a task force to consider the potential for offshore energy, including wind and oil. Perdue said she wants to learn more about the wind project and hear from the public before she decides whether to back it.
Numerous studies say areas off the North Carolina coast would be ideal for wind farming.
UNC-CH researchers completed a study this past summer that suggested that the state aggressively pursue development of wind energy, and recommended using an eastern section of Pamlico Sound, seven to 10 miles from Avon or Hatteras, for a demonstration project.
From shore, the tops of the towers and blades would be visible on the horizon.
"They're still visible," said Harvey Seim, a UNC-CH marine biology professor. "But they're certainly not towering over your house."
Elizabeth Ouzts, state director for Environment North Carolina, is enthusiastic about the potential for offshore wind energy.
"This can be game-changing in terms of renewable energy in North Carolina," she said.
Chris McCall, a Buxton resident, said wind energy could boost the economy and lower local electric bills.
"We've lost a lot on the island," he said. "People are going to come down to see they're going to be unique along the coast."
The UNC-CH study said a full-blown, offshore wind farm could create as many as 45,000 jobs, including 9,000 permanent jobs.
Stewart Couch, owner of Hatteras Realty, said the state needs to consider how the turbines would affect tourism.
"I'm worried about the visible pollution of these sites," he said. "The people of Hatteras Island are the victims of the do-gooders in this state."
Sound vs. offshore
State officials are still figuring out what permits would be needed to build test turbines. But officials said it could be easier and quicker to get permission to build a few towers in the sound rather than jump the regulatory hurdles that would come with plans for offshore towers.
Seim said that under a "very ambitious" timeline, the turbines could be operating in the sound by this time next year.
Researchers looked at potential locations in Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, and at spots offshore, where the structures, planted in the sea floor and with blades sweeping as high as 450 feet above the water's surface, would not interfere with birds, bats, fisheries, military uses or shipwrecks, or distract from the scenic lighthouses.
The idea of offshore wind energy has been turning in Senate leader Marc Basnight's head for years.
Addressing fears about aesthetics before they were even voiced, the Manteo Democrat said he wouldn't want to stare at a turbine out his window.
But he said the wind towers would be far enough away from shore that they wouldn't interfere with daily life.
"It feels very good to move forward with a project," he said.
