Right now wind farming is only allowed on land. The Coastal Resources Commission regulates any development on the coast and will have to consider the possible economic and environmental impacts of wind farming before developing a permit process for it.

Michele Walker with the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management says winds over North Carolina's coastal waters are strong.

"My understanding is that the wind is really, really good out in North Carolina sounds. There's a lot of really good wind energy out there that a lot of people out there are thinking about trying to harness."

Both companies and individuals have expressed interest in harnessing wind energy, which can be sold to companies like Progress Energy.

Do you have insight or expertise on this topic? Please e-mail us, we'd like to hear from you. news@whqr.org.

© Copyright 2009, whqr