First U.S. Wind Turbines to be Placed Off North Carolina’s Shores in Pilot Research Project

Pamlico Sound. Stock photo.

As the global movement toward seeking out more renewable energy technologies increases in momentum, the United States is taking its first steps to examining the potential viability of offshore wind power.

The University of North Carolina and Duke Energy have signed a contract to place up to three demonstration wind turbines in the state’s Pamlico Sound. This will be a pilot program designed to answer questions about the viability of developing a utility-scale wind energy production operation in the area.

“We are looking forward to working with UNC and residents of the Outer Banks to determine if and how we can use wind energy on a larger scale. Our company has experience developing land-based wind in other parts of the country, and we are excited about this pilot project and learning more about how we can use this renewable resource in our home state,” said Brett Carter, president of Duke Energy Carolinas.

In a community meeting on the Outer Banks, with representatives from UNC and Duke, Sen. Marc Basnight (D-N.C.) told attendees that, “This project is the critical step that will determine the future of wind power off the Outer Banks. It will allow for community feedback and collaboration, and it will be a very positive information-finding effort.”

Pamlico Sound with southern Outer Banks. Courtesy of NASA.

The pilot project will build on the nine-month study completed in June 2009 by UNC at the request of the North Carolina Assembly to explore the feasibility of producing wind energy in the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.

The study explored and assessed issues such as:

• How much wind power could be produced.
• Ecological ramifications.
• Utility Infrastructure.
• Regulation Barriers.

The study’s research projections showed that:

• Estimated wind capacity factors are above 30 percent for the eastern Pamlico Sound and for most offshore regions. Capacity factors above 40 percent are likely on the continental shelf between central Onslow Bay and The Point in water depths of 30 meters and greater.

• Depending on the specific location, positive environmental synergies could include the establishment of oyster reefs in saline sounds; the creation of additional rocky hard-bottom reefs in coastal oceans; and the facilitating of offshore mariculture (an enclosed section of ocean for the purpose of producing food, such as salmon, shell fish, etc.)

• There is currently inadequate infrastructure to make full use of a large-scale wind powered utility. Among these factors is that the Dominion North Carolina Power transmission system on the northern coast is not designed to accommodate significant power from offshore wind without a systems upgrade.

• There are few outright regulatory barriers, but the regulatory incentives for wind energy are not as great as other forms of alternative energy, resulting in solar energy being pursued more aggressively by the public utilities.

The new pilot program by UNC and Duke is expected to give more precise and detailed real-world answer to questions relating to operations, systems maintenance, environmental impacts, and compatibility with existing infrastructures.

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