Duke Energy in Partnership with UNC Shift Focus on Wind Demonstration Projects

Duke Energy Carolinas has decided to refocus its collaboration with the University of North Carolina (UNC) to study and assist enable the development of large-scale offshore wind energy projects on North Carolina coast’s ocean side. The company will no longer be pursuing its plan of placing three demonstration wind energy turbines at Pamlico Sound.

Engineering and in-depth analysis have been conducted on this project since September 2009. Duke Energy Carolinas has concluded that all fixed expenses that are associated with the construction, permitting and designing of coastal wind demonstration projects on a small-scale were no longer feasible.

The relatively high expenses that have been incurred towards permitting, installing and developing the first turbine have concluded small demonstration projects to be much lesser in terms of the overall cost-effectiveness, when compared with a project on a large-scale. Other additional challenges faced by this wind project were the need for using modified techniques for shallow water construction along with a greater potential of affecting underwater vegetation.