Wind Power Coming to the Sunshine State?
Posted February 17, 2015 09:25 am
PENSACOLA,
FL – You've heard of "Inherit the Wind," but what about
importing wind?
Gulf Power of Pensacola is hoping to harness the power
of wind for Florida by importing it from Oklahoma. The
utility company is seeking permission from the Florida
Public Service Commission to purchase the wind energy
produced on a turbine farm in the Sooner State and
brought directly to the Sunshine State.
Supplying power in this manner has never been done
before in Florida, and environmental activists are
applauding the move. Sierra Club spokesperson Kelly
Martin says the timing is right.
"It's cost-effective. The cost of clean energy has
plummeted to the point where it is cheaper to bring in
wind from out of state to benefit Florida consumers,"
she says.
The electricity will be brought in via transmission
lines from the Kingfisher Wind Farm in Piedmont,
Oklahoma. If approved by state energy regulators at the
Public Service Commission, it could be used to power
more than 50,000 homes in northwest Florida. The
agreement would also make Gulf Power the leading utility
purchaser of wind energy in the state.
Florida, of course, is known more from its sunshine than
its wind. But Martin believes that could soon change
too.
"As wind technology has caught up, there are ways to
build wind turbines that are in places where there are
less of a wind resource," she says.
As for harnessing Florida's sunshine, Gulf Power is also
seeking permission to partner with the U.S. Air Force
and U.S. Navy to build solar energy plants to power
three military bases in northwest Florida. Martin says
both moves are long overdue.
"There's no doubt that Florida utilities have been
lacking in their adoption of clean energy technologies
like solar power and wind power," says Martin.
Wind farms are indeed rare in Florida, and the Sunshine
State ranks only 13th in solar energy production.
Photos/graphics; links; added and updated by the Observer
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