Reporter Jessica Jones looks at wind power as a source of renewable energy. Some hope to harness the wind's energy in the mountains and along the coast to provide the state with a renewable energy resource.

North Carolina could get most of the energy it needs as a state from renewable sources including solar and wind. That's according to a report published earlier this year by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. But when it comes to producing wind energy that goes back into the grid, North Carolina is behind other states. In fact, there is only one utility-grade wind turbine in all of North Carolina.

The turbine is perched on a hill on the outskirts of Appalachian State University's campus in Boone. To get a close look you have to walk up a small gravel road to an enclosure surrounded by a chain link fence. Professor Dennis Scanlon teaches classes on how to build turbines.

"This is a modern wind turbine," Scanlon said. "It's an intermediate sized turbine. It actually has a rated power output of a hundred kilowatts."

Scanlon says the turbine produces enough power for 30 average homes per year, or 60 energy-efficient ones. And it's quite tall; in fact, it has become one of Boone's landmarks.

"It stands on a white tubular tower that's 120 feet tall," Scanlon said, "And then the individual blades of the turbine are 34 feet long."

It's not too windy today, but the blades are spinning gently. The turbine was installed last summer, after ASU's students voted to add a few more dollars to their activity fees to fund renewable energy sources on campus. And it works pretty well. Scanlon points to a round concrete structure nearby that looks like an above ground swimming pool.

"All the power goes right into this transformer that's right next to where we're standing and right into the grid," Scanlon said." The power's used here on campus and here in the community of Boone, to power the houses and the other loads we have here."

But this is the only location in North Carolina where wind energy is locally produced and fed back into the grid. It's estimated that 1000 kilowatts of wind power lie untapped in the mountains- along with about 500 more on land along the coast.

States nearby including Tennessee and West Virginia already have wind farms. Virginia is planning one. But North Carolina has yet to break ground. Brian Miles is with North Carolina State's Solar Center, which works to give the public more information about renewable energy sources in the state.

"It's a complicated endeavor, and it's very region and site-specific," Miles said. "It's tough to compare us to other states because everything is so different everywhere."

Miles says here in North Carolina the permit process for building wind farms is very complicated. Right now, interested developers must apply for permits from local counties, and then a host of other state and federal agencies. And of course, utilities must also be willing to buy that power.

Paul Quinlanis with the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association. He says that's why many national developers shy away from proposed projects here.

"The North Carolina market is competing with Texas, competing with New England, with the Mid-West," Quinlan said. "Internally, they will rank all their projects, and they will invest where they believe they're going to have the best outcomes.  Because of the regulatory uncertainty in North Carolina going forward, that's a risk going forward that they approach cautiously."

A bill in the legislature originally sought to streamline that permitting process for both eastern and western North Carolina. But as it passed through the Senate, some lawmakers amended it to add a ridge law. That prohibits turbines on the ridges in the mountains, generally considered the best locations in the west for wind power. If that bill passes, North Carolina will have the most restrictive wind power development standards in the country.

"We should build wind energy facilities where it's appropriate," said Senator Martin Nesbittof Buncombe County. He is one of the legislature's most outspoken members against wind power in the mountains.

"There are plenty of places that are appropriate in this country, and we should not build them where it's inappropriate," Nesbitt said. "The same way with power plants, the same way with nuclear plants, the same way with everything we do. We should find an appropriate place to put 'em."

To Nesbitt and other people who want to protect pristine views of the mountains, the only appropriate place for a wind turbine is somewhere where it doesn't stand out. Even though many Western counties have passed resolutions in support of mountain wind farms, it's an uphill battle to win over powerful lawmakers like Senate President Marc Basnight. He wants to see wind power developed in coastal areas, especially offshore.

"That is the area that has gained my focus mainly because the greatest potential for generating wind will be there," Basnight said.

It's estimated that 55 thousand megawatts could be generated by offshore projects. Basnight has helped provide funding for a pilot project sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke Energy that will build three utility-grade wind turbines in Pamlico Sound. Construction is expected to begin next year. And now that powerful lawmakers like Basnight have spoken positively about wind projects in coastal areas, many private developers are lining up to get a better look at North Carolina's coastline. 

Related Links:

American Wind Energy Association