Catch The Wind ASU Wind Initiative Has Turbines Up And Running In High Country By Miles Tager A crowd of nearly 100 people came out to see the first three towers of what will be six wind turbines on top of Beech Mountain. Photo by Miles Tager The wind blows free just about every day across the top of Beech Mountain, and now someone is catching it. That someone is Appalachian State University’s North Carolina Small Wind Initiative, which kicked off its groundbreaking campaign for clean energy in Western North Carolina Saturday beneath three wind turbines turning quietly in the steady breeze. The turbines, placed on property next to The Pinnacle donated for use by a private landowner, will operate, produce power, and provide critical data for future use of wind power in the mountains, according to initiative coordinator Professor Dr. Dennis Scanlin. Scanlin, head of the ASU Appropriate Technology Program and a leading figure in alternative energy use in North Carolina, spoke to a crowd of nearly a hundred people gathered near the summit of the 5,500 ft. mountain. With permission from landowner Cliff Elder and an operating permit from Avery County, Scanlin said the site will “run for six years,” with three additional turbine towers being added over the next few months. Power is already being produced for local power company Mountain Electric Cooperative, Scanlin said; with grant funding from the North Carolina Energy Office that will cover both operational costs and a strong educational and research component. “This will be a very significant site for research and demonstration projects,” Scanlin said; including “workshops and other activities” to inform the public about the potential of wind power as a clean and renewable source of energy. Much work had already preceded the placing of the towers on Beech, including detailed wind resource maps of all three High Country counties and the 24-county Western North Carolina region, described by Scanlin as home to some of the “most excellent sites and best resources” for wind power production in the country. The data indicates approximately “a million acres of windy land,” Scanlin said, with the potential to serve “20,000 property owners.” Funding for the initiative includes “working with teachers and students, visits by national and international experts,” and the loan of anemometers – wind speed and direction meters – to the public for determining the suitability of their property for turbines and power production, Scanlin said. “This will help us assess wind performance on land throughout the region.” The maps show many high elevation ridges throughout Avery, Ashe and Watauga counties as Class 5-7 wind sites, the highest rating showing where sustained mid-level winds could generate permanent power to the electric grid. Few Class 5 or better sites exist nationwide, Scanlin said. The site will help researchers answer common questions about the viability of wind power; “can it be a usable source of electricity, is it reliable, what are the costs and issues, and how much can it reduce our air pollution.” Wind energy worldwide constitutes a $9 billion industry, and is the fastest growing energy producer in the world growing at 30% a year; costs have been recorded as low as two cents per kilowatt/hour, Scanlin said. “That is the cheapest energy in the world.” Not only is wind technology clean and inexpensive, but “it can stimulate significant economic development,” Scanlin said. Other speakers included Project Manager Anthony Parker, landowner Elder, State Senator Joe Sam Queen, and David Waltrip from the U.S. Department of Energy. “The United States has 3% of the world’s population,” Waltrip said, and “uses 30% of its fossil fuels, yet there is so much abundant energy around us, all the time, and it’s there for us to capture.” North Carolina Energy Office representative Bob Leker said the breezy day on the summit “was indicative” of the sustained winds on Beech, and that research from this site would provide the first new regional data “in twenty years.” The state’s ‘Attitude Surveys’ on the use of wind power, including the visual and other impacts of the towers, showed a majority of “favorable response,” Leker said. Elder said he “was skeptical” at first about the project, but his own research into new technology that reduced tower size and turbine noise, not to mention the fact that North Carolina has some of the worst air pollution in the nation, convinced him to let the Wind Initiative use his land. “We have the technology to do the right thing,” Elder said. Senator Queen, who represents six counties including Avery said he “looks forward to working with the stakeholders in this project,” which was significant in part because “North Carolina imports all its fossil fuels.” “This is our own energy, and the value of it stays here,” Queen said. Queen said his research showed that “wind farms are actually magnets for visitors.” Scanlin recognized Bob Cantrell, the owner of Beech Mountain Sports who utilized a private wind turbine to literally power his business for over two years. For more information on the ASU Wind Initiative, go to www.wind.appstate.edu.