Charlotte Observer

Quest highlights barriers to meeting renewable-energy goal
Wind power is on a lot of minds in the N.C. mountains and on the coast, where breezes blow strong and steady. Harvesting them will be key to meeting the state renewable-energy goal that legislators are poised to adopt.

But making that happen in a big way, energy experts say, will depend on untangling red tape and calming neighbors angered by the prospect of towering windmills in beloved, scenic places.

Other obstacles: a state law that prohibits tall structures on mountain ridges and a maze of regulations. As many as 18 government agencies could claim a role in reviewing a wind-farm proposal, wind advocates say.

“We’ve talked to a dozen different wind developers now, and to a person they say, `Just tell us what the rules are,’ ” said Dennis Grady, director of Appalachian State University’s Energy Center.

ASU estimates that 12 to 20 small, utility-scale wind farms in the mountains and on the coast could produce 6.5 percent of North Carolina’s electric power. That estimate assumes that turbines wouldn’t be placed near scenic public places such as the Blue Ridge Parkway. Read full story