By SCBIZ Daily Staff

Santee Cooper, the Belle W. Baruch Foundation and the Clemson University Restoration Institute will study whether coastal Georgetown County’s winds are strong enough to fuel commercially viable electricity. This will be the third wind research project involving Santee Cooper and Clemson University, which also have projects ongoing with Coastal Carolina University in Horry County and in North Charleston.

Although previous research has indicated commercial-scale winds exist along the coast and in some mountainous areas of the state, development of large-scale wind power still hinges on more research, according to a statement released by Santee Cooper.

Plans call for installation of a 50-meter anemometer station with gauges to measure wind speeds at 30-, 40- and 50-meter heights for the Hobcaw property in Georgetown. All data collected from these instruments will be sent remotely to Clemson computers and be made available to researchers through the Internet. After one year, the data and any environmental impacts will be analyzed with an eye toward construction of a wind turbine at the property.

Clemson, Coastal Carolina University and Santee Cooper announced the first wind research project last spring and installed an anemometer tower on Waties Island in Horry County this summer.

A second anemometer has been installed at Clemson’s Restoration Institute in North Charleston, and that data are being analyzed for possible turbine placement as well.

“Santee Cooper is very encouraged by initial results of our ongoing wind research,” said R.M. Singletary, senior vice president of corporate services at the state-owned utility.