The United States Congress is not the only place where the future of energy in this country is being hotly debated. In fact, North Carolina’s wind turbine future is in a little bit of limbo these days following action in the North Carolina General Assembly. At issue is the presence of wind turbines over 100 feet on mountaintops on the western ridges of North Carolina.As Kate Galbraith reports for the New York Times’ GreenInc. Blog, a bill looked like it was headed for passage in the North Carolina Senate that would effectively ban the placement of turbines over 100 feet in height from mountaintops along the western ridges. Galbraith reports that the bill would allow for residential scaled turbines (between 50 and 120 feet), but the larger, industrial scale turbines, which produce 500 times as much power as their residential counterparts would not be permitted. According to Brandon Blevins of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the legislation is both unprecedented and could affect potentially 2/3s the land in North Carolina available for this technology. To read Galbraith’s piece click here.
Monte Mitchell and James Romoser report for the Winston-Salem Journal that the opponents of the turbines are many mountain senators who feel the turbines would be an eyesore. As the bill stands, residential turbines up to 100 feet are okay, but any new turbines over 100 feet are banned as well as new turbines constructed for commercial use. In addition to affecting the area’s aesthetics, the ecological effects of the turbines as well as effects on tourism could also become a cause for concern.
Mitchell and Romoser point out in their story that, ultimately, the turbines have gotten caught in a larger, sometimes emotional debate about development and the future of this scenic area. Now that the bill is back in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Senators can keep searching for a compromise. One that would, as Senator Steve Goss said, ‘“will protect our mountains. [But not] shut out a technology that might be a partial answer to our future energy problems.’” To read the Winston-Salem Journal article click here.
Posted: 07/22/09
