Georgia Wind Power

Here is more information on a topic I touched on last week. When I first mentioned alternative energy in Georgia I focused on solar, but made the comment that I thought solar is best used in collaboration with other energy sources, and mentioned wind as one of them. One reader suggested wind power was useless for Georgia. I started to refute (partly) his claim last week. I want to continue that.

But first I should note that he was partly right. Inland, Georgia doesn't have much wind potential. But along its short, but important, coastline, Georgia does have good potential for wind power.

From the Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Georgia coast prime spot to harvest wind energy
Friday, May 1, 2009

Georgia stood on the sidelines last year while America’s wind energy industry grew by 50 percent, a $17 billion investment that sent the U.S. racing past Germany as the world leader in wind power.

States in the nation’s midsection and on the West Coast led the surge, propelled by stronger, more consistent wind patterns than those in other states.

But renewable energy experts say Georgia is well-positioned to capitalize on a new push by the Obama administration to harness the tremendous possibilities offered by offshore wind energy.

“The potential of wind offshore represents one of the greatest available renewable energy resources Georgia is going to be looking at in the future,” said Brandon Blevins, wind program coordinator for the Knoxville, Tenn.-based Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, which has offices in Atlanta and Savannah.

Subscribers to the Atlanta Business Chronicle can read more.

It seems a real shame that even informed people miss the potential of Georgia's coast for wind power. This kind of offshore wind is being extensively used in parts of Europe, including Denmark (side note: Denmark, with its high taxes and socialized medicine, was recently ranked the "happiest place in the industrial world.")

Going to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy's page on Georgia, I should note that wind power is not the top focus currently, but that seems due more to the lack of action by Georgia's utilities than the lack of potential for offshore wind.

Here are a few action alerts for Georgia from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy:

Get Involved in the GA Pine 2 Energy Coalition

Stop Plant Washington Coal Plant in GA

Support Bioenergy in Georgia

Speak out for Solar