Three hundred energy industry experts, government officials and wind energy developers gathered in Charlotte earlier this month to attend the first ever Southeastern Coastal Wind Conference. N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco participated in a keynote panel at the meeting along with Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce Jim Chang and other officials. The advantages of regional collaboration provided the focus for the two day conference.
The potential for offshore wind energy along the nation’s East Coast has drawn growing interest over the last several years, with much of the focus on locations in the northeast. But the southeastern U.S. has the potential to be the long-term leader in East Coast wind energy supply chain and development. North Carolina’s natural wind resource is the best on the entire Atlantic seaboard, and the Southeast region overall is second to none. The region’s strengths in manufacturing provide opportunities for manufacturers seeking to enter the industry’s supply chain.
The business potential of the Southeast to become a major player in this large-scale industry drew the attention of wind developers currently evaluating opportunities in the United States. “We are talking about something really gigantic, right next door, that’s not been tapped into at all,” said Ned Farquhar, a deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of the Interior.