Sierra Club talks wind

MIKE SHUTAKATLANTIC BEACH North Carolina has great intensity for offshore wind energy, but it will take supportive policies on all levels of government to develop it.This was a message brought to a Atlantic Beach Council meeting by Sarah King as well as Carina Barnett-Loro of a North Carolina chapter of a Sierra Club. The club is making presentations along a coast to bring a wind energy discussion to a local level.The state government is examining offshore wind energy, as well as Carteret County is one of a areas with a best intensity for developing wind energy sources. However, opinions are divided on whether a benefits will outweigh a intensity risks to a environment as well as a coastal economy, which is largely tourism-based.Ms. King, a volunteer with a Sierra Club, said wind energy is a proven alternative energy source, as seen by its successful use in Europe. She said as of June, Europe has 1,247 wind turbines in use off its coast.Its really growing by leaps as well as bounds, Ms. King said. Theyre seeing it creates clean energy jobs; its created about 34,000 there. Creating a wind energy turbine takes about 8,000 different machine parts, some of which arent allowed to be transported on interstate highways. This means a parts either need to be brought in by barge or locally manufactured.North Carolina is considered a prime offshore wind resource. A 2010 study by UNC shows a state has a strongest offshore winds on a East Coast as well as a state has a third highest electricity use. The second highest is Georgia as well as a first is New York. North Carolina also has a largest growing population on a East Coast, as well.The state government has been working since 2009 to gather information on offshore energy as well as its benefits as well as drawbacks. In 2009, Gov. Bev Perdue issued an executive order, creating a Governors Scientific Advisory Panel on Offshore Energy. This panel is working on a report to advise a governor on an offshore energy policy that will cover offshore wi! nd energ y, as well as oil as well as gas drilling. The governors office said a report may be completed next week.The federal government is also exploring offshore energy options in North Carolina. Ms. Barnett-Loro said a federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation as well as Enforcement is looking at leasing blocks of offshore areas in federal waters, which could be leased for wind energy development.What weve heard is theyre going to issue a call for interest very soon, she said.Following up on a BOEMREs creation of a North Carolina Offshore Energy Task Force in 2010, Gov. Perdue issued two more executive orders on June 30. Executive Order 96 created an Offshore Wind Economic Development Task Force to look into a intensity economic impacts of offshore wind energy. The task force will report its findings as well as recommendations to a governor by March 31, 2012.The governor also issued Executive Order 97. This order reauthorized a Governors Scientific Advisory Panel on Offshore Energy, requiring it to report its findings as well as recommendations to a governor by Dec. 31, 2012.North Carolina isnt a only state with interest in offshore wind energy. Ms. Barnett-Loro said Massachusetts has permitted a wind project off its own shore as well as is looking for energy companies to accept a hook-up to their energy grids. Other states with similar projects in a works are New Jersey, Maryland as well as Rhode Island.We dont think North Carolina will be a first in wind energy, Ms. Barnett-Loro said, but we can be a best. The Wright brothers came to North Carolina because a National Weather Service said we had a strongest wind. But it will take policies at a state, local as well as federal levels to support development of this resource. Were hoping to make this a grassroots effort rather than have it forced down.Councilman Eddie Briley said he wanted to start a discussion on developing offshore energy. To that end, he said he had some concerns about issues such as a visibility of offshore turbines, a impact to a! local e nvironment as well as possible problems with navigation.Ms. Barnett-Loro said in Europe, a turbines have had little impact to marine mammals or coastal birds. They also havent had much problem with ships navigating around them either.She also said a University of Delaware did a survey on public opinion on offshore energy. It showed 90 percent of a states residents surveyed were in favor of developing wind energy offshore. A total of 85 percent of a tourists surveyed said having wind turbines offshore wouldnt affect their vacation plans. Ms. Barnett-Loro said N.C. State University is conducting a similar study./>