File:Coast watch (1979) (20039656823).jpg

English:
Upper: North Carolina Solar Center solar energy specialist Shawn Fitzpatrick wires the wind vane on a 20-meter tower, Middle: NRG Symphonie logger, mounted at the base of a 50-meter tower, was installed in Sneads Ferry, Lower: The Coastal Wind Initiative provides data, such as maps identifying wind speeds

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_18 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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LEGAL TIDES The Solar Center also installed an anemometer at North River Farm, a restoration site in Carteret County acquired by the N.C. Coastal Federation, according to Mast. FUTURE WIND ENERGY? When Jim Bacchus peers out the window of his car, he can't help but notice the poor air quality in Charlotte. "We do not do well from a pollution standpoint," he says. When in a metropolitan area like the Queen City, Bacchus can't help but think about his house in Topsail Island, a far cry from city life. There, traffic problems are limited to the summer tourist season. Not far from his beach house is the anemometer he received from the N.C. Solar Center's loan program. He had it installed at the nearby sewage treatment facility to keep it out of view. But the state is several years away from creating large-scale wind facilities, according to Bacchus, managing director ofTerrapin Wind, a company that hopes one day to create what he calls "wind farms" in eastern North Carolina. Developers are having difficulty receiving long-term commercial financing right now, he says. "The longest financing available is for five years," Bacchus explains. "Nothing is going to happen unless there's many more years put on the contract. It will be a catalyst for wind power if tomorrow someone started serving a seven-to-10 year contract." The availability of affordable long-term financing is only one aspect to consider regarding wind energy, says Walter Clark, coastal communities and policy specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant. Wth tourism as one of North Carolina's biggest industries, perhaps the most critical issue is aesthetics, he adds. "People come to our mountains and coast to see the undulating ridges of the Blue Ridge and vast openness of our coastal sounds and the Atlantic," says Clark. "If wind turbines threaten to clutter the honzon of our ocean vistas and mountain ridges, there will likely be substantial opposition from those that depend on beautiful views to nourish the soul and tourism dollars to line the pocket," he says. "On the other hand, if wind turbines are designed and located so as to minimize aesthetic impacts, wind may become a viable alternative energy supplement," Clark explains. Bacchus also cites visual appearance as a critical factor. "North Carolina residents want wind farms to be out of sight," says Bacchus. 'You toil your whole life for a beautiful view at the beach." Aesthetics have been part of the problem with the proposed Cape Wind project, a much-publicized effort to build a wind farm four miles off the Cape Cod shore in Massachusetts. The developers hope to place 170 wind turbines within a five-mile by five-mile area and supply enough electricity to power half of Cape Cod. The Cape Cod project is well received by most of the locals, says Steve Kalland, deputy director of TOP: N.C. Solar Center solar energy specialist Shawn Fitzpatrick wires the wind vane on a 20-meter tower. MIDDLE: The NRG
Text Appearing After Image:
Symphonie logger, mounted at the base of a 50-meter tower, was installed in Sneads Ferry. BOTTOM: The Coastal Wind Initiative provides data, such as maps identifying wind speeds. TOP RIGHT: Shawn Fitzpatrick (left) and Beth Mast stand in front of an anemometer outside of the McKimmon Center. BOTTOM RIGHT: A 50-meter tower is being raised at Sneads Ferry as part of the anemometer installation process. 28 SPRING 2005

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