Wind farm all but disappears in coastal
simulation
Nov 08 - Herald; Rock Hill, S.C.
Large wind turbines would be clearly visible two miles off the Carolina
coast but would all but disappear into the haze eight miles out to sea,
a new photo simulation shows.
Clemson's South Carolina Institute for Energy Studies created the
simulation as part of Santee Cooper's research into the viability of
building a wind farm off the Grand Strand.
The visual impact of the wind turbines has been a major hurdle for some
projects in the United States and Europe.
"We think it's important to give people an idea of what it looks like,"
said Marc Tye, Santee Cooper's vice president of conservation and
renewable energy. "We want people to form opinions based on the facts."
Earlier this summer, Santee Cooper and Coastal Carolina University
placed two strings of buoys off the Grand Strand to measure winds. One
was at the north end, near North Myrtle Beach, the other was at the
south end, closer to Debordieu Beach.
Based on data captured by these buoys, Santee Cooper will build a tower
to capture wind measurements at heights of more than 220 feet, slightly
less than the height of a typical offshore wind turbine. Santee Cooper
recently received proposals from five companies and is expected to award
the design contract within a week. In all, the wind measurement tower
will cost about $1 million. Tye said construction of the tower should
start in early 2010.
Meanwhile, Clemson researchers used special software designed to show
what large turbines would look like at various distances. One photo
shows how a 12-turbine wind farm seven miles off the coast of Little
River would appear under blue skies. In that photo, the turbines look
like small white straws sticking up from the ocean.
A second photo shows what a wind farm would look like 8.7 miles off the
coast of Debordieu on a cloudier day. In these conditions, the towers
all but vanish into the haze. A third photo shows towers at distances
ranging from two to eight miles.
The distance issue is important because it might be less expensive to
build and maintain a wind farm closer to shore. At the same time, winds
tend to be stronger farther offshore, which means they might generate
more power. Tye said
"The problem is not whether it (a wind farm) can be done," Tye said.
"It's whether it can be done cost effectively." He added that "so far,
we haven't seen anything yet that rules it out, and that in itself is
progress."
Santee Cooper's project is part of a surge in interest in wind power in
South Carolina. Another notable wind project involves a consortium led
by Clemson's Restoration Institute.
"We think it's important to give people an idea of what it (the wind
farm) looks like. We want people to form opinions based on the facts."
Marc Tye, Santee Cooper's vice president of conservation and renewable
energy
Originally published by Tony Bartelme; The (Charleston) Post and
Courier.
(c) 2009 Herald; Rock Hill, S.C.. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights
Reserved.
(c) 2009,
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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