The Palmetto State could earn a reputation as the wind state — becoming the second-largest offshore wind resource on the East Coast, the Associated Press reported.
South Carolina has the second-largest offshore wind resource on the East Coast, experts said Thursday. A goal of generating 1,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by the end of the decade was outlined.
The Associated Press talked to a Lowcountry state senator, who said wind energy could become the cheapest alternative as natural gas prices rise:
State Sen. Paul Campbell of Goose Creek, who chaired a state committee that four years ago looked into developing the state's wind resources, said the north coast between Georgetown and the North Carolina state line has suitable winds. He said the state has a goal of generating 1,000 megawatts in the area by 2020.
Is S.C. prime for 'green' energy?
Deborah G. Brownfield
8:33 am on Monday, September 17, 2012
This would be awesome, but only as long as SC doesn't accept funding from the government tied to Agenda 21 or ICLEI to initiate it. Green is GOOD but without the governments fingers in the pie is BEST!
reg
1:11 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
I'd agree, but historically we know that private industry has never addressed energy needs. TVA, for example - a fifth of the country without regular water or needed energy; no private company would respond; govt had to do that itself without any companies. There are many other examples, too. Private companies only come in after the fact and on government contracts to operate what government had to build itself.
Robert cobb
11:07 am on Monday, September 17, 2012
How about jobsss
.i am a captain of marine vessels...little or NO WORK...
JoSCh
11:42 am on Monday, September 17, 2012
It's an interesting problem, increased efficiency in design, manufacturing, farming, energy production, and many other former job producing industries currently only benefits the business owner. Increased efficiency and better technology means less need for human workers, so the business owners lay their people off. And who can blame them. But how do you employ these people? I mean, the mega rich only need so many housekeepers.
JoSCh
12:01 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
Another interesting note, because the state still regulates energy you can't get one of those solar energy leases.
They are called Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and how they work is a company installs solar panels on your roof with no initial investment from the consumer. Then you pay them a fixed monthly fee over 20 years where your house generates its own energy during the day. Any surplus energy is fed back into the grid, and at night or days where you consume more than the solar produces you use grid energy (currently mostly coal, in the future mostly nuclear http://www.sceg.com/NR/rdonlyres/65C2A152-29E1-4B28-973F-09BCA9985DED/0/scanaenvironmentalreport2011.pdf )
Hopefully the state will be able to dissolve the regulation without facing the embargoes, gouging and corruption that occurred in California circa 2000/2001. The regulations served their purpose, now they need to be removed or revised to allow for more efficient and cleaner small scale energy solutions. Installing and maintaining solar panels would actually create private jobs.
Deborah G. Brownfield
8:52 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
Love your insight, JoSCh! And I will add, the solar panels you can build for about $200 actually do work; some youngsters will finally figure out a way to market them to homeowners thereby creating jobs, raising entrepreneurial spirits, and proving free enterprise works!
South Carolinians have always been hard-working, self-sufficient folks. I maintain that we can create jobs without govt strings telling us how to run our own business.
Good luck to you, Captain Cobb. I have a friend who is captain of a ship. Should you want to talk to him, I'd be glad to help you all connect.
Ambassador
7:09 am on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Wind and solar power etal are realistic supplemental power sources that someday IN THE FUTURE AND NOT TOMORROW AND NOT THIS YEAR are viable with ever-better technology. NIMBY, however, as shown by that incompetent patron of progressive liberalism, the former Ted Kennedy, will corrupt these technologies; Cape Cod, a bastion of high winds offshore, is a no no for wind turbines--would not want to harm any potential degrading view for the Cape's rich and famous even though they cannot see the turbines. In addition, under the cover of "green", this corrupt and incompetent administration, with actions such as throwing away over $700 million on fraudulent Solyndra (hey, I wonder where all the money went), and closing coal fired plants without a hint of replacing that energy source BEFORE you take it out of the energy market place is and was reckless and incompetent and a clear appreciation that the insane asylum, once known as the US, is being run by its inmates. These kind of rulings by some form of manifest destiny by the narcissistic resident in the whitehouse and his brownshirts are what dictatorships,fascism and communism are all about.
JoSCh
9:32 am on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
In states that don't have regulations against third party power providers solar power via a PPA is lowers your electric bill compared to buying all of your power from the traditional coal and nuclear plants on the grid. So that statement, while reasonable and true enough as recently as a couple of years ago, is false today.
Nothing else you said even resembles rational thought. And nobody was surprised.
Ambassador
1:46 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Whatever your last comment means, I assume it is directed to my last reply. I guess Jo it takes one to know one when it comes to rational thought. Now you are an energy expert even though you have no idea what you are talking about. Methinks you are exactly what I think you are--someone who is the problem in this country, someone who I will never meet and, if I do, someone i will ignore. I assume you will be more than happy to kiss the yada yada of the garbage in the whitehouse as this country goes down the drain. If I am wrong about this assumption, kindly accept my apology ONLY on my last statement.
JoSCh
2:15 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
You can easily assume that my last reply was directed at your comment because it appears on the page as a reply. That's what the reply button does. The same way this one is replying to this statement.
That me telling you that a solar PPA lowers your electric bill doesn't qualify as rational thought to you is not surprising. It's plainly written with no references to hysterical hyperbole, only facts. Facts are the kryptonite to the Fox addled regressive mind apparently.
Being able to read and wrote coherently doesn't make me an expert, but it puts me light years ahead of you. Seriously, read your comment and tell me what you said? I don't know what "the yada yada of the garbage in the whitehouse" means. You use the term "methinks." The rest is your fantasy about how we meet. You're weird.
I generally don't accept apologies, ever. I certainly don't accept them when they're conditional or disingenuous. Not to mention you're one of the most hateful and deceitful people that post here. But you're right, with my reason, wit, and facts backed by links, I'm the problem.