The Virginian-Pilot
©
ROANOKE ISLAND
An experimental wind machine that could reach 500 feet into the Outer Banks skyline will be the subject of a public hearing April 18. If it wins Dare County commissioners' approval, the project could pave the way for future offshore wind farms.
Two companies - Gamesa Energy and Northrop Grumman - have partnered to build the turbine on one of a few possible sites near the tiny village of Skyco on Roanoke Island's southern half. The project - essentially a one-turbine control group - is part of a broader experiment aimed at perfecting Gamesa's offshore wind-energy generators. Plans are also in the works to build an experimental turbine in the ocean somewhere off the North Carolina coast.
In a presentation last month, Gamesa representative Todd Hopper said that Skyco is the ideal place for the project's land-based turbine because of its proximity to water and isolation from development. He asked Dare County commissioners to consider amending zoning laws to accommodate the project.
County planning staff members drafted some proposed changes and presented those ideas last week. Commissioners agreed to have the county planning board weigh in at its meeting April 11, and the public can have its say at 5:30 p.m. on April 18.
The biggest change would be the addition of wind-energy turbines to the list of approved conditional uses in the Highway 345 Business District - granted that the turbine is associated with a "public university research agency."
In this case, that agency would be the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute. Several of the turbine's proposed sites are located on the campus, and Director Nancy White has said the institute is interested in partnering with Gamesa.
"Renewable energy isn't going to improve without research," she said at a recent commissioners' meeting.
Staff members have also proposed a maximum turbine height of 600 feet. The turbine's operators would also be required to mitigate noise and visual annoyances, called shadow flicker.
Gamesa intends to sell the electricity generated by the turbine to recoup some of its design-and-build costs - which, Hopper estimated, could be as high as $20 million. The company aims to install the turbine next year.
As far as what the project could mean economically for Dare County, Hopper committed to nothing. He said Gamesa manufacturing factories are likely to open "somewhere."
So far, two county commissioners have been vocal about their views.
Commissioner Mike Johnson said he sees the turbine as an eyesore in an otherwise pristine environment. And he expressed doubt that the project would benefit the county in terms of jobs or investment.
On the other side, Commissioner Richard Johnson has said that he supports the project "100 percent."
"Somebody's going to do this. I would rather see us participate in it," he said.
Erin James, (252) 441-1711, erin.james@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Imagine a thousand wind turbines on the Outer Banks
Strange that the last post seems to think that there would be thousands of turbines here on the Outer Banks but also argues that they are essentially inefficient. 2+2= ??? Worse yet, to think that energy is in any way "politically correct" is to in itself take a political position that has the USA ranked far behind other countries in renewable energy.
Wind energy boondoggle
Offshore wind energy generation is unlikely to ever be economically feasible, since it costs 250% more to produce than land based turbines, 400% more than natural gas. It is not all environmentally peachy-keen as some proponents would have you believe, either. Aside from the problem of bird strikes, there are too many unanswered questions about the electrical fields generated and their effects on wildlife (land based or marine.)
Then there is the fact that T Boone Pickens, the largest promoter, the P. T. Barnum of the industry, is bailing out, selling his turbines to whatever townships, universities, or whomever. Did he see the writing on the wall, and is now getting out while the getting is good? Has he a bridge in Brooklyn for sale?
Wind Turbine in Dare County
What a wonderful and exciting proposal to continue the research regarding the use of wind as an alternative to what is unfortunately going on in Japan. For those who have never seen a utility scale wind turbine I urge you to do so before you form an opinion. I have been in several states where there are defined areas containing as many as 400. They are like gental giants, harmless to the enviornment and productive.
The Outer Banks is considered a prime area for wind energy.
When one talks of affecting the pristine skyline, take a look at mess we see as we drive up the bypass - power lines, high poles, more poles, more wires...
Jim Millis
Outer Banks resident
And just how will wind
And just how will wind turbines eliminate the power lines and high poles along 158? Even small wind turbines like at the Brewery and the Nags Head pier multiplied by thousands -- what does that do for the "pristine skyline?" A pie-in-the-sky attitude about an idea, without taking into account the practical feasibility, will leave one with egg on his face and everyone involved a lot poorer in the end. Plunging into a "feel good" project without thinking it through is foolish. Nothing has wasted more money in this country than political correctness.