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Southern Company has announced that a thorough two-year study conducted with Georgia Tech has identified conditions potentially favorable for wind power generation off the coast of Georgia, but costs and regulatory concerns remain to be resolved.
Launched in 2005, the joint study examined a variety of factors — including wind resources, technology, siting, environmental, climate, permitting and economics — associated with locations off the coast of Georgia. The study recommended that Southern Company continue to pursue the potential development of wind energy resources.
"We believe that given the available wind resources and the extent of the shallow water continental shelf, there is considerable ultimate potential for wind power generation off the coast of Georgia. While the 20-year levelized cost of wind power is higher than current production from existing power plants, offshore wind power may become a viable option for green power generation. We, therefore, support the conclusion that development of offshore wind power should be pursued," said Sam Shelton, Strategic Energy Institute research program director.
Though the Southeast in general does not have sufficient wind speeds on land to effectively support wind power generation, the conditions are better off the Georgia coast, the study said. The average wind speeds there are about 16 to 17 mph. Wind technologies currently available typically require sustained winds of 14 mph or greater.
Among the other key findings, the water in the area is relatively shallow, which makes it easier to construct the foundations of a wind farm. Also, the study said, Jekyll and Tybee islands are the two locations with the best potential for connecting power from an offshore wind farm to the transmission grid.
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