Wind Power News: North Carolina
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Renewable mythology
In its February newsletter, Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative tells customers they will soon have the chance to buy electricity from Duke Energy Renewable’s 6.4-megawatt Murfreesboro Solar Project in Hertford County — and it will cost more — practically double what they pay for electricity now. “CCEC’s Board of Directors approved the ‘solar rate’ of 18.71¢ kWh (kilowatt hour),” said the newsletter. “CCEC’s standard rates are 8.9¢ kWh during non-summer months (November through May) and 9.98¢ kWh during the summer (June through . . .
Sierra Club pitches wind energy
MOREHEAD CITY — North Carolina has a lot of potential for offshore wind energy, according to a Sierra Club forum panel assembled Tuesday night at Carteret Community College. The North Carolina chapter of the club held an offshore wind energy forum at the college, which drew a crowd of about 170 people. Steve Benbow, a Sierra Club volunteer, said offshore wind may not be the cure-all, fix-all for the state’s energy needs, but he believes it can be a viable . . .
Fewer swans wintering at North Carolina refuges
The movements of wintering swans and snow geese would have jeopardized birds and pilots had the U.S. Navy’s plans for a nearby airfield come to fruition. Now, the birds face another danger: a proposal to install wind-energy turbines near Pocosin. Creatures that fly are not easy to relocate.
Environmental impact study stands between proposed wind farm and state approval
A company that wants to operate a wind farm in eastern North Carolina must do an environmental impact study before the North Carolina Department of Commerce will approve its application for a permit to build 49 wind turbines on 11,000 acres in northern Beaufort County. The agency has crafted a “joint-proposed order” to allow Panteo Wind Energy, a subsidiary of the Chicago-based Invenergy, to permit the construction if the EIS does not turn up any major problems. The agency has . . .
Answer to energy woes not blowing in the wind
If the Sierra Club and its lawyers could make a proven scientific link between man’s activity and climate change, this entire adventure in science-legal arm wrestling over windmills would stop. References to some nefarious scientific body is not enough evidence to claim that windmill energy is more than a toy in the hands of some irresponsible faux-environmentalists that behave more like modern Don Quixote’s. The Sierra Club will dally around for a while, make a few wild claims using PowerPoint, . . .
Proposed wind farm creates tempest
The two sides squaring off for battle create a bit of a conundrum: conservationists versus renewable energy executives. It would seem the two would be in firm agreement — weaning Americans from fossil fuels, preserving natural resources, doing little harm to the environment in the process. But what happens when executives from a proposed wind farm want to plant 49 wind turbines close enough to the Pungo Unit of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge that the U.S. Fish and . . .
Wind farm plans come in like lion, out like lamb
Plans for a multi-million dollar wind farm in the Albemarle fanned local officials’ hopes in 2011, but some fear the breeze may be changing direction. The year began with strong prospects for a big investment in wind energy locally. In January, Portland, Ore.-based Iberdrola Renewables announced plans for a $600 million wind farm in Pasquotank and Perquimans counties. Plans called for 150 utility-scale wind turbines capable of generating power for 70,000 homes a year. The momentum appeared to gain strength . . .
Belongs to the birds
Regarding the Dec. 21 article “Doubts fly over wind farm,” the location of the industrial wind turbines for the Pantego Wind project is unsuitable because of the large population of wintering migratory waterfowl. Industrial wind facilities must be located in areas that will avoid and minimize negative effects to wildlife. This location is an Audubon Global Important Bird Area. The Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 to serve as an inviolate waterfowl sanctuary. Tens . . .
Wind power does not help economy or environment, experts say
WILMINGTON — State law requires North Carolina utility companies to generate 7.5 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2018. The standard can’t be met without wind, an energy source some scientists call counterproductive. Electricity generated from the wind is inefficient, extremely expensive, and bad for the environment, argued scientists and economists at a forum sponsored by the John Locke Foundation Dec. 5, at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. John Droz, a fellow at the American Tradition Institute, is . . .
Doubts fly over wind farm
Prospects for a proposed wind energy farm in Eastern North Carolina are likely to remain iffy as long as naturalists and environmentalists have doubts about the project on account of its proximity to a wild bird refuge. In an attempt to alleviate those concerns, the developer behind the Pantego Wind Project, Invenergy, is conducting an extensive bird count in the area that will cost several hundred thousand dollars. Invenergy representatives met with editors and reporters of The News & Observer . . .
