Yesterday, we gave credit where credit is due to someone we’ve criticized, namely Sen. Kay Hagan, who is getting federal money to expand broadband service to rural areas in the state. Today, we’re praising Duke Energy, a company we’ve reamed more times in print than I can keep up with; call it a new tradition.
UNC and Duke Energy are beginning to take the state into the 21st century by cooperating, with Duke’s funding, on placement of three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound. Their actions follow up on a UNC study conducted for the state, which found that “North Carolina is well-positioned to develop utility-scale wind energy production.” It’s a good deal for everyone involved. The state finally gets moving on mass-scale alternative energy; Duke Energy saves money on research; and the university’s prestige is enhanced while it gets funding for important studies. As a bonus, the project is apparently being conducted in a way that’s keeping local citizens fully apprised of what’s going on. A political blogger these days almost has to apologize for not being cynical, but seriously, this seems like pretty good news all around. You can read Duke Energy’s press release about the wind turbine project here.
This article appears in Oct 6-13, 2009.
