Feds to examine Georgia’s offshore wind power potential
April 2, 2009 at 9:10 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsFrom the AJC’s man in D.C.:
In moves that could potentially change the Georgia coast, the Obama Administration is making wind energy development off of Atlantic states a major priority.
At the same time, it also wants to update studies to determine the viability of oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic.
At a renewable energy conference here Thursday, Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar released portions of a new report that shows wind turbines off the Atlantic coastline could generate enough energy to supply one-fourth of the nation’s electricity needs.
“We know we have huge wind energy potential” in the Atlantic, Salazar told reporters afterwards. “This will be a high priority for us.”
The best potential for wind energy is probably off Delaware, Massachusetts and other Northeastern states, Salazar said.
But “there is significant potential in the Southern Atlantic states as well for wind energy,” he added.
In 2006, Georgia Tech and Atlanta-based Southern Co. discovered that wind power could be generated off the state’s coast but said it was cost-prohibitive.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
What about wind energy potential around the Gold Dome?