Windmills off the coast of Carolina?

Some say it could be a reality in the not-so-distant future.

"It's quite realistic," said John Bane, scientific advisor for Outer Banks Ocean Energy Corporation. "One of the important things about offshore wind energy is that it has been in operation in a large way in Europe and the UK for almost 20 years."

"Our waters are a little bit different to operate in and the permitting procedures are a little bit different but basically the engineering is the same."

OBOE formed last year and is currently in the research phase of making wind energy along the coast a reality.

"This is very expensive ... on the order of a billion dollars to bring it to total completion," Bane said. "It will be mostly private investment but it will be, hopefully, some governmental support. There are tax incentives and grants for alternative energy projects and we're looking into which ones of those apply to offshore wind and we'll hopefully be able to utilize them as we can. A large fraction of the money will be borrowed and then paid back as the facility makes its income generating electricity in future years."

Bane says a 200 megawatt wind farm would power more than 50,000 North Carolina homes.

"If it's the large size of the wind farm we're looking at 600 megawatts," Bane said. "It'll power over 150,000 North Carolina households."

Bane says OBOE must first complete about four years of environmental study and engineering design studies.

"This is a means of generating electricity cleanly; no carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere so it's very good climate stewardship."

The recently released UNC wind study provided new information that developers will use to see if the coast of North Carolina can be profitable when it comes to wind power.

"The Gulf stream, a major ocean current flowing south to north along the east coast, comes very close to the coastline off North Carolina," Bane said. "The area 15 to 35 miles off the coastline along Morehead City and a little bit further south and north from there is ideal from putting in a wind farm like this."

OBOE is currently looking at several sites, according to Bane: Kitty Hawk, Morehead City and one near Wilmington.

"The other thing you need to think about is where am I going to connect to on shore. You are generating a lot of electricity. You need to bring a cable on shore to bring that power to the power grid," he said. "We are hoping that we are able to arrange with one of the local power companies to purchase the power if we bring it ashore at Morehead City."

The wind farm would mean 50 or more windmills. Bane says the vertical mast of the wind mill would be a cylinder 15 to 20 feet in diameter.

"It extends from the base of the ocean to the base of the water column, up to the ocean surface and the water depth we're looking at -- so about 100 feet where we would be working," he said. "But the turbine mast extends from the water surface up to about between 250 and 300 feet and that's the center of the blade circle. The blade itself is on the order of 350 feet in diameter. So the entire structure from the waterline to the top of the blade arch is on the order of 450 or 500 feet."

Bane says the closest distance the windmills could be offshore would be 15 miles, out to 35 miles.

"At 15 miles you can still barely see some of the wind turbines on a very clear day; and if it's further out than that, then they're over the horizon and people on the beach will not see the wind farm at all."

Learn more in our question and answer session with John Morrison, assistant secretary of energy for the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

We've heard the President speak of why alternative energy is important for the country's future. Why is finding alternative sources of energy here important for North Carolina itself?

Alternative sources of energy are important to North Carolina for the same reasons they are important to the country as whole: Economic Prosperity, National Security and Global Climate Change.

North Carolina imports virtually all of its energy from other states and regions of the globe. We do not have coal deposits or oil and gas reserves, and as the price for those fuels climbs, all North Carolinians feel the pinch. North Carolina, however, does have sources of biomass and wind which can be used to create liquid fuels and electricity. According the recently released UNC study, there is enough wind off the coast of North Carolina to generate more electricity than the state currently uses. If North Carolina takes the lead in developing off-shore wind, not only do we create a local source of energy, but also can create jobs building and servicing the wind farms off our coast and along much of the Atlantic seaboard.

The national security argument for alternative energy is particularly important. As a country we are dependent for our oil on regions of the globe that are hostile to the U.S. and which use their energy riches in ways which harm our national interests.

The effects of global warming are predicted to have particularly hard impact on North Carolina. The estimates of sea level rise mean that the vacations at the beach we so enjoy will not be possible for our grandchildren. The Outer Banks will be under water.

How realistic is it that we will see some of these projects like wind farms on the coast come into the state during this next decade?

Wind farms like the ones described in the UNC study already exist in Europe along the North Sea. The technology exists today, but companies have to put together the necessary financing to build the farms, and regulatory processes need to be developed to make sure that we do it without harming the environment and those who live along our coast.

What are some things that the state has to keep in mind when looking at some of these projects (impact of tourism, etc.)?

The UNC study identified many of the issues to consider for offshore wind, (i.e. competing uses of the space for fishing, military training, ferries; impact on habitat for fish, shell fish, bird and bats; location of points of connection to the electricity grid.) In addition we have to consider the effects on tourism. Fortunately the best places to put a wind farm where the winds are strongest are many miles off shore and the visual impact will be similar to a large ship sailing on the horizon. Another important consideration is the opportunity for jobs and economic development in eastern North Carolina. Wind turbine are made from composite materials similar to boats and the blades are so large that they are not easy to transport over land. Companies with composite experience located where they can ship their product by ship or barge will be well positioned if and when an off-shore wind industry develops.

The Governor just created the Offshore Energy Advisory Panel. How are bodies like this going to help this process?

We still have much to learn in order to reap the benefits and avoid problems with off-shore wind. Scientific panels like the one the Governor announced and public meetings like the one hosted by Senator Basnight in Buxton, help bring the best minds to the issue and address the concerns of those closest to potential developments.