Sep 7 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Peter Hull The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.

A day after petroleum giant Chevron Corp. announced the discovery of large oil deposits under the Gulf of Mexico, alternative energy supporters convened in North Charleston to promote the environmental benefits of renewable fuels and the opportunities they present for South Carolina businesses.

At the same time, state-owned utility Santee Cooper said Wednesday it has finished construction of the state's only solar-based "green power" site.

With gasoline prices and other energy costs near record highs, pinching consumers and businesses alike, the issue of alternative sources is attracting plenty of attention.

Wednesday's summit, for instance, was organized by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's ThinkTec program and the S.C. Research Authority. The goal was to provide a format to discuss alternative energy sources and help nurture what could blossom into a new industry for South Carolina.

"I believe strongly in alternative fuels and finding a way of getting the U.S. off the dependence of oil," said House Speaker Bobby Harrell (R-Charleston), who kicked off a round table discussion at the conference. "I think that's the challenge of our generation."

Harrell described alternative fuels as "the next big industry," one that could supply the world with clean, efficient energy. In South Carolina, the business spinoff could generate new jobs, lower unemployment, raise the average income and improve living standards, he said.

As experts exchanged ideas in North Charleston, Santee Cooper announced the completion of its first solar-powered site farther up the coast in Conway.

The eight-month construction project will be formally unveiled in late October.

The utility teamed up with Coastal Carolina University to install solar panels atop four new multipurpose pavilions in the city. Special metering equipment produces real-time statistics on how much electricity the panels generate at any given time.

The use of alternative energy also is starting to gain some momentum in the Charleston region.

For example, J.W. Aluminum plans to heat a new smelter near its Mount Holly plant with methane, a renewable energy source produced by rotting trash. Specifically, the metals manufacturer is proposing to offset its rising power bills by capturing the gases that occur naturally beneath Berkeley County's landfill.

Meanwhile, Charlotte-based Southeast BioDiesel has a site at the former Navy base in North Charleston where it plans to use waste vegetable oil from area restaurants to fuel school buses, automobiles, trucks and other vehicles.

For Michael Quah, executive director of energy and environmental sustainability for Johnstown, Pa.-based Concurrent Technologies Corp., the goal is for the industry to drop the "alternative" tag.

He noted that alternative fuels aren't limited to biodiesel and ethanol, both of which have received scads of publicity recently. The category also includes power sources generated by water, wind and the sun.

"If we do it right, alternative energy will be advanced energy and it will be the norm," said Quah, one of the participants at Wednesday's North Charleston summit.