Tech Junkie: The blog Wisdom, wit: Our other business columnists and blogs Headlines: Latest from the wires

Published Wed, Oct 12, 2011 04:12 AM
Modified Wed, Oct 12, 2011 07:56 AM

Coastal wind farm up for discussion

Article

0 COMMENTS

Email Print Order Reprint

Share This

Text

tool goes here

BY JOHN MURAWSKI - STAFF WRITER

The public will have an opportunity next month to weigh in on a proposed 11,000-acre wind-energy farm in Beaufort County.

The N.C. Utilities Commission, which is reviewing the application for the 80-megawatt project, will hold its first public hearing at the Beaufort County Courthouse at 7 p.m. Nov. 17.

If approved and built on schedule, the 49-turbine Pantego Wind Energy Project is expected to be completed late next year. It would probably be the state's first industrial-scale wind farm.

The commission will hold a second hearing Dec. 6 in Raleigh to consider evidence from accountants, engineers and other experts.

The Pantego project was proposed in September by Invenergy, a company that operates more than two dozen wind farms in this country.

The Pantego proposal will also require approval from federal environmental regulators and from military installations.

The project would have a capacity factor of 25 percent to 36 percent, which means it would generate that portion of its maximum energy capacity.

Wind farms and solar farms generate less than 50 percent of their maximum capacity because they depend on favorable weather conditions.

Get the biggest news in your email or cellphone as it's happening. Sign up for breaking news alerts.

Email Print Order Reprint

More Technology

Mobile app company is on the move
Mobile application company Two Toasters is prospering thanks to favorable word-of-mouth.
Uninstalling programs during routine computer maintenance raises questions
When considering removing either Java or Javascript, remember the two are different. There is a legitimate debate over whether removing Java from your machine is actually a good thing.
College video game program feeds industry
– In a recent class, Austin Community College student Richard Moss showed off his group’s project: a demo of a submarine video game called “Treasures of Atlantis.”
Embittered Facebook investors ponder next move
To say that Facebook's debut as a public company was bungled is something like saying Facebook is a website you might have heard of.
Smartphones give Target shoppers new savings
The retailer has teamed with shopkick to offer customers rewards for using their smartphones. Perks include gift cards and movie tickets.
Apple’s data center in Maiden gets approval for fuel-cell plant
State regulators approve a 4.8-megawatt fuel cell facility planned at the iPhone maker’s data center in Catawba County. The fuel cells, along with a planned 40-megawatt solar farm, will be nation’s biggest privately-owned electricity generators in those energy categories.
Lenovo remains the fastest-growing PC maker
Chinese PC maker Lenovo continued to advance towards its goal of becoming the world’s No. 1 PC maker with quarterly sales that defied a sluggish market and exceeded analysts’ expectations.
Forbes puts Triangle in America's geekiest top 20
Forbes has released its picks for America's Top 20 geekiest cities, and the Triangle cracked the top five.
N.C. State researcher launches project to battle Android malware
Android malware can wreak havoc on a user. The quick growing threat can exploit data and even take control of a device incurring hidden charges. There is a new effort to battle the menace on mobile security.
HP's missteps culminate in loss of 27,000 jobs
Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman has quantified the painful price that must be paid for the missteps of her predecessors as she tries to turn around the Silicon Valley pioneer. The bungling will wipe out 27,000 jobs so HP can save enough money to lift its earnings and invest in the development of more profitable products and service.