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South Carolina

Updated July 2010

Contacts:
South Carolina Energy Office  
(803) 737-8030.

Overview of Status:

The South Carolina utility Santee Cooper, in conjunction with state academic institutions, has operational offshore wind monitoring stations to assess the feasibility of future large scale wind development in coastal waters. Various other studies and mapping initiatives have been/are being undertaken.

Proposed Projects:

Palmetto Wind is an offshore wind initiative supported by Clemson University’s Restoration Institute, Santee Cooper, Coastal Carolina University, and the South Carolina Energy Office.  The project is currently collecting and analyzing data from six floating buoys and two land-based monitoring stations.  Santee Cooper plans to build an offshore monitoring platform within the next year.  

Policy and Regulation:

Santee Cooper has the stated objective of producing 40% of its energy from non-greenhouse gas emitting sources by 2020. 

Studies, Research and Development:

A 2008 DOE grant titled The South Carolina Roadmap to Gigawatt-Scale Coastal Clean Energy Generation: Transmission, Regulation & Demonstration resulted in formation of a Regulatory Task Force for Coastal Clean Energy.

Clemson University hosts the South Carolina Offshore Wind Collaborative, which includes the Clemson University Restoration Institute, Santee Cooper (state owned electric and water utility), Coastal Carolina University, and the South Carolina Energy Office. 

South Carolina and Georgia jointly received a DOE Wind Powering America grant to undertake an initiative that will “focus on public outreach especially related to economic development, utility and state information sharing and development of best practices as key components to market acceptance for wind energy in South Carolina and Georgia.”

In February 2007, Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State, and Coastal Carolina University hosted a Southeast Regional Offshore Wind Power Symposium. 

The South Carolina Energy Office undertook a wind mapping initiative in conjunction with Santee Cooper in 2005.