Capturing wind to power the future By Molly Parker mparker@scbiznews.com
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uoys floating off the coasts of Georgetown and Myrtle Beach are collecting data that could eventually allow the state to churn offshore winds into power. The six buoys — three off Winyah Bay and three off North Myrtle Beach — are equipped with anemometers measuring the frequency, speed and direction of the winds offshore. The buoys were deployed in July as part of South Carolina’s steps toward determining whether an offshore wind farm could become a viable source of alternative energy in the state. The buoys are transmitting live data back to shore that university researchers are continuously dissecting in an effort to determine if — and if so, where — a wind farm would make sense. “I think the results are on par with what was expected, which is good news. There certainly is an economic resource off the coast,” said Paul Gayes, director of the Center for Marine and Wetland Studies at Coastal Carolina University. In both locations, the buoys are situated 1.5 miles, three miles and six miles
from the beach, Gayes said. “It’s just, How close to the coast can you get?” Santee Cooper is leading the Palmetto Wind Research Project in partnership with Coastal Carolina University, North Carolina State University and the S.C. Energy Office. Santee Cooper’s wind energy research project started several years ago, when the utility placed anemometers in several locations to determine whether an inland wind farm could ever become a viable power source. “What we’ve learned from the landbased wind anemometers is there isn’t sufficient utility-scale wind to turn big wind turbines. So we are looking offshore,” Santee Cooper spokeswoman Mollie Gore said. The data collected by the buoys will help Santee Cooper determine where to place an anemometer station that is expected to cost about $1 million. Requests for proposals on this project were sent out in August. Gore said a company will be selected soon. “The first question is, Is the wind there? The second question is, How do See WIND, Page A15
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Sustainable cities he cities of Charleston and North Charleston have been leading the way in sustainable development, green building and energy conservation for years. Early this decade, for example, the city of Charleston embarked on a facilities overhaul that would eventually represent a $17 million investment in energy efficiency. About the same time, the city of North Charleston staked its future economic viability on the principles of sustainable development, and, according to one official, it has “put its money where its mouth is.” A new, 150,000-square-foot green City Hall is the latest example. Thanks to money from this year’s economic stimulus package, both cities are getting an infusion of cash from the federal government to further advance projects that reduce energy consumption. Those projects will do more than save the environment, city leaders say. In the long run, they will also save taxpayers money.
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Inside: Charleston’s commitment to sustainability effort is wide-ranging, ambitious. Page A4 On the green front, North Charleston leads by example. Page A6 Above: North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey. (Photo/Chrys Rynearson) Left: Bryan Sheehan, the city of Charleston’s first sustainability director. (Photo/Leslie Halpern)
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