South Carolina to begin offshore wind study

Officials with Santee Cooper, Coastal Carolina University and the South Carolina Energy Office today announced the launch of weather buoys that will measure wind off the coast of Georgetown and Little River, a significant step that positions South Carolina as a leader in the rapidly developing national wind energy landscape.

Six buoys and two land-based stations will measure wind speed, direction and frequency at stations up to six miles out into the ocean. One string of buoys begins at Georgetown, near an ongoing wind study at Winyah Bay; the second string begins at Waties Island, by Little River and near another ongoing wind study. Buoy deployment could begin in mid-March, depending on weather conditions.

The buoy deployment will be followed by Santee Cooper’s installation of an offshore platform in about six months, near one of the buoy paths. Coastal Carolina researchers, working closely with counterparts at North Carolina State University, will evaluate the buoy data to help pinpoint the best location for the platform, which will measure upper-level winds more similar to those a wind turbine would encounter. The offshore wind platform is expected to gather data for at least a year.

Costs associated with the buoy project are being paid by Santee Cooper and by a U.S. Department of Energy grant administered by the South Carolina Energy Office. Specifically, the grant money is helping fund Coastal Carolina’s role in the buoy research. Santee Cooper will pay for the platform.

“Santee Cooper believes that all reasonable renewable energy initiatives must be explored, and wind energy is a promising opportunity for South Carolina,” said Lonnie Carter, Santee Cooper president and chief executive officer. “As a public power company, Santee Cooper is committed to providing South Carolinians with affordable, reliable energy that is protective of our environment. We have been testing wind viability onshore for several years, and the experience has encouraged us to take this next important step.

“No power company in America is generating offshore wind energy, and very few are exploring its viability,” Carter continued. “Santee Cooper is the only public power company, in fact, that is working alongside leading state scientists to prove the viability of offshore wind as a source of electrical generation. And this project falls squarely in line with Santee Cooper’s goal to provide 40 percent of our energy by 2020 through non-greenhouse gas emitting resources, biomass fuels, conservation and energy efficiency.”

“Thanks to the expertise of our faculty, Coastal Carolina University has long been involved in many partnerships with public and private organizations on projects that positively influence the lives of people locally, regionally, around the state and internationally,” said Dr. David A. DeCenzo, president of Coastal Carolina University. “Under Paul Gayes’ direction, the University’s Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies will play a significant role in this historic venture. We are excited about this project and about the fact that our students will have a part in exploring the possibilities of developing wind energy as a viable source of renewable energy for South Carolina.”

John Clark, director of the South Carolina Energy Office, said: “South Carolina continues to explore creative and innovative alternative energy solutions. This exciting new offshore wind energy project, in combination with the work that’s already been done over the last several years, has the potential to pave the way for a new clean energy resource with substantial potential for South Carolina.”

The buoys are provided by N.C. State. The offshore project is the latest in a series of wind research initiatives involving several organizations in South Carolina. In addition to the partners in this offshore project, stakeholders include Clemson University, the Savannah River National Laboratory, the University of South Carolina’s Baruch Research Institute, and EcoEnergy LLC.

There are no offshore wind installations anywhere in the United States, and so there are many challenges still to resolve. The two projects announced today will gather data for at least the next 18 months. Meanwhile, a group of state stakeholders will begin considering how to permit offshore wind turbines, and a separate group will be considering transmission needs. Federal permitting is also under development. This new research will continue to advance South Carolina’s wind energy deliberations while these other significant issues are tackled.

Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility, and the state’s largest power producer, supplying electricity to more than 163,000 retail customers in Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry counties, as well as to 29 large industrial facilities, the cities of Bamberg and Georgetown, and the Charleston Air Force Base. Santee Cooper also generates the power distributed by the state’s 20 electric cooperatives to more than 700,000 customers in all 46 counties. Approximately 2 million South Carolinians receive their power directly or indirectly from Santee Cooper. The utility also provides water to 137,000 consumers in Berkeley and Dorchester counties, and the town of Santee. For more information, visit www.santeecooper.com. For information on how Santee Cooper lives green and how you can go green, visit www.SanteeCooperGreen.com.

Coastal Carolina University is a dynamic, public comprehensive liberal arts institution located in Conway, just minutes from Myrtle Beach, S.C. The University offers baccalaureate programs in 40 fields of study including acclaimed programs in marine science, resort tourism and professional golf management. Graduate programs include an MBA as well as master’s degrees in education and coastal marine and wetland studies. More than 8,100 students from across the country and the world interact with a world-class faculty and enjoy a nationally competitive NCAA I athletic program, an inspiring cultural calendar, and a tradition of community interaction in more than 100 student clubs and organizations. Coastal Carolina was founded in 1954 and became an independent university in 1993. For more information, visit www.coastal.edu .

Since 1995, the South Carolina Energy Office (SCEO) has been providing a broad range of resources designed to help citizens, businesses and public entities save energy and money. During that time, the SCEO has helped save South Carolina over $250 million through public and private energy-saving measures and new energy technologies. Additional information can be found at www.energy.sc.gov.