DATE: February 02, 2009

CONTACT: Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, 843-554-7226, ext. 117
ebusch@clemson.edu

WRITER: Peter Hull, 843-554-7226, ext. 118
phull@clemson.edu

Restoration Institute: Wind could bring energy and jobs to South Carolina

NORTH CHARLESTON — Energy from winds that blow within miles of South Carolina's coast have the potential to power more than a million homes across the state and create thousands of jobs, a panel of experts said Wednesday.

In the Charleston area alone, an additional 1.5 gigawatts of electricity will be needed to power a population boom that is expected to see 1 million people move to the region by 2025, living in 440,000 new homes.

Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, director of business development for the Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston, told the ninth annual ThinkTEC Innovation Summit in North Charleston that South Carolina stands to benefit from wind power as a natural energy resource.

A growing coastal population will strain existing electricity resources, pushing demand for new sources, she said. Further, relatively shallow offshore waters are ideal for wind-farm construction and Charleston's state-of-the-art cargo port will help the flow of construction supplies.

By 2030, one-fifth of electricity generated nationwide is forecast to come from coastal or offshore wind farms, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. South Carolina utility Santee Cooper has committed to generating 40 percent of its power from non-greenhouse gas and biomass sources by 2020.

"If you do the math, wind power could generate more than 20,000 new jobs in South Carolina by 2030," Colbert-Busch said. "The opportunities for this state are enormous."

In hard numbers, the economic impact of wind power represents 22 jobs per megawatt, she said. One gigawatt equals 1,000 megawatts.

Gene Eidson, restoration ecology director at the Restoration Institute, told the summit that these population shifts and corresponding energy demands will require careful management of our natural resources.

The Clemson scientist heads an innovative project called the Intelligent River, which deploys a network of sensors and probes along the Savannah River that transmit information wirelessly to a central database.

Data, such as temperature, humidity and dissolved oxygen, can be viewed via the Internet, allowing scientists to manage the river in real time. It means the thousands of homes, businesses and marine life that rely on the river will receive the quantity and quality of water they need.

Put simply, our watersheds are at risk, Eidson said. If ignored, our natural resources will not be able to cope with the demand.

"We're at the point where we need to revolutionize how we manage our water resources," Eidson said. "Not a slow evolution."

The day-long ThinkTEC summit at Trident Technical College concluded Wednesday.

For more information about the Intelligent River visit www.intelligentriver.org.

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The Clemson University Restoration Institute
The mission of the Clemson University Restoration Institute is to advance knowledge in integrative approaches to the restoration and sustainability of historic, ecological and urban infrastructure resources and drive economic growth. The institute's vision is to build a sustainable future through education, collaborative restoration research and strategic partnerships. Its Web site is www.clemson.edu/restoration/.