Weigh pros and cons of offshore wind turbines

No source of energy yet discovered comes without drawbacks. And that goes for wind power.

But as South Carolina considers whether to embrace wind turbines off the coast, state officials need to weigh not only the advantages and disadvantages of wind power but also how it stacks up against other energy sources, including offshore oil exploration. In the end, it seems likely that wind power will prove to be cleaner and more trouble-free than many other alternatives.

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has located 1,200 nautical square miles in four tracts off the South Carolina coast that could be leased for wind energy. Officials from the bureau met recently to discuss the pros and cons of the proposal with a South Carolina advisory committee working on offshore wind energy.

It’s clear that offshore wind turbines have some potential shortcomings. A significant one would be the hazard they pose to wildlife.

Officials with the bureau noted that turbines – and the cables used to connect them to the electric grid – could interfere with the migration of endangered North Atlantic right whales that have their calves off South Carolina, Georgia and Florida in the winter and early spring.

The turbines also could be hazardous to birds, although the tracts proposed for wind development are no closer than 6 nautical miles from shore to avoid the high concentrations of birds that fly nearer to shore.

Placing the turbines that far offshore could address another concern: visual pollution. Some fear that the turbines would spoil the view of the ocean for locals and, perhaps more importantly, the millions of tourists that flock to the state’s beaches every year.

Again, though, placing the turbines far out at sea would diminish their appearance on the horizon. It also would eliminate any possibility of noise, which is one of the complaints with so-called “wind farms” on land.

Running cables back to shore could damage some pristine areas. And the cables and turbines themselves also could interfere with shipping.

But wind power poses none of the hazards of a major oil spill that comes with any oil drilling operation. Wind power also precludes the danger of shipping crude oil over the water and storing and refining it once it reaches shore.

Even if the plan for offshore turbines is approved, it could be a decade or more before the first one is installed. In the meantime, numerous impact studies and public hearings must be conducted.

A number of prominent South Carolinians have offered their enthusiastic support for offshore oil drilling along the coast. We think wind turbines could be a much safer and cleaner alternative.

Considering the importance of tourism to the state, the risk of even a minor oil spill affecting the coast seems too high. By contrast, the risk of a placing wind turbines far out at sea seems far more acceptable.

Wind power alone is not the panacea for America’s energy needs. But it is a practical part of a package of alternative energy sources that can create electricity without producing the pollutants that bring about climate change.

We think allowing turbines to be placed offshore along South Carolina’s coast is worth careful consideration.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Weigh pros and cons of offshore wind turbines."