Carolina moving ahead on wind

Virginia officials have long discussed placing wind turbines off the coast, but the first towers in the region are likely to appear farther south - in North Carolina's Pamlico Sound.

Duke Energy and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently signed a contract to install one to three turbines in the sound west of Buxton and Avon as early as next year. The turbines would be seven to 10 miles from shore.

The pilot project, funded entirely by the utility company, still faces some regulatory hurdles, but it could position North Carolina as a leader in developing wind energy. Several northeast and mid-Atlantic states have talked about offshore wind farms, but none has been built.

Both Virginia and North Carolina are establishing task forces to work on offshore lease arrangements. Feasibility studies have been under way for some time.

In Virginia, much of the wind-power focus has been on the shoreline off Virginia Beach. A state-funded consortium, based at Old Dominion University and involving several other universities, concluded this year that a wind farm off the Beach would be viable.

But funding a pilot project hasn't been a priority for the state amid deep budget cuts. Discussions also have been complicated by concerns that turbines might interfere with high-powered radar at Oceana Naval Air Station.

Both Duke Energy and Dominion Power, which provides electricity to much of Virginia and part of northeast North Carolina, have been developing wind projects in other states.

Duke Energy recently announced that a 70-megawatt project in Pennsylvania and a 42-megawatt project in Wyoming are now operating. Dominion Power has been pursuing a 750-megawatt project in partnership with BP in Indiana.

So far, North Carolina officials have balked at establishing wind farms in the mountainous, western part of the state, largely out of concern for protecting scenic views and the area's tourism appeal.

In Virginia's mountains, wind farms have received mixed reviews. Dominion and BP are planning a 150-megawatt project in Wise County near the Kentucky border, and a similar venture is envisioned for Tazewell County in southwest Virginia.

A 39-megawatt project in Highland County, proposed several years ago by a group led by a retired turkey farmer, was expected to become Virginia's first wind farm but has faced intense opposition. The latest objections have come from state Department of Historic Resources officials concerned about the visual effect on a nearby Civil War battlefield.

Both states stand to benefit from turbines along their shorelines and their mountains. Scenic views should be protected, but the effects can be mitigated by judicious siting of turbines. And it's important to remember that renewable energy sources such as wind and solar can be far less damaging environmentally and visually than erecting oil platforms offshore or strip-mining mountains for coal.

Wind energy alone won't produce enough electricity to meet the needs of Virginia or North Carolina, of course. But broadening the range of options is essential - particularly for two coastal states that are likely to face dramatic changes from global warming if the world's reliance on fossil fuels isn't reduced.