Brief summary
Wind power is critical to North Carolina’s clean energy future—helping us reduce dependence on coal and curb pollution. Studies estimate wind power on just 5 percent of the state’s mountain ridges could power nearly 200,000 homes and create 800 MW of capacity.
No one wants a wind turbine on top of Grandfather Mountain, or in a community where it’s simply not welcome. But a bill pending in the North Carolina Senate would ban all commercial and community wind development on the state’s ridges.
North Carolina’s mountain peaks are tall, and they’re windy. That’s why turbines on even a small number of our ridgetops could provide as much as two-thirds of the state’s land-based wind power potential, and 20 percent of the state’s renewable energy requirement.
Environment North Carolina is working to make sure lawmakers leave the door open for wind power in appropriate sites in the mountains and the coast—away from our scenic vistas or ecologically sensitive areas and in the communities that want the benefits of homegrown, clean energy.
Resources:
Read the La Capra Study, which estimates wind power potential across North Carolina.
Find out more on the basics on wind power from Appalachian State University.
And learn more at the Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy.
