Southern Company (NYSE: SO) wants to test the feasibility of wind
turbines off the coast of Georgia near Jekyll Island and Savannah,
according to an Associated Press report.
Southern Company owns
numerous utilities in the southeast including Georgia Power, Alabama
Power and Gulf power. The company has been criticized for owning some of
the largest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants in the country and
also for being slow to pursue renewable resources like solar and wind
instead of new
nuclear power.
However, that may be starting to change. The
company reportedly has asked the Department of Interior for ocean
leases to build research towers to gather information on wind speed and
direction.
A study the company conducted with Georgia Tech found
average wind speeds of 16 to 17 mph five miles off the Georgia
coast–ideal for offshore wind turbines.
Other signs that the company may be getting serious about clean
energy: last month Southern Co. purchased
a solar project in New Mexico in conjuction with Ted Turner’s
renewable energy company; and Southern company recently
announced plans for couple biomass
plants.
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