Could wind power work in Florida?

Could wind power work in Florida? - 06/30/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

''Wind is ready to go,'' says Christine Real de Azua of the American Wind Energy Association.

But perhaps not in Florida. Though pleasant breezes sweep in from the ocean, several experts say the quality and location of those winds make it difficult, if not impossible, to generate much wind power here at a reasonable cost.

Florida Power & Light, whose parent is the largest supplier of wind power in the nation, insisted for years it wouldn't build a wind farm in Florida because the state's breezes weren't strong enough. That changed last year when, under pressure from Gov. Charlie Crist and the public to move toward green energy, the utility announced plans for a small wind project near the Atlantic coast in St. Lucie County.

That effort has been mired in zoning disputes with neighbors who do not want their coastal skyline marred by windmills as tall as 40-story buildings. What's more, the strength of St. Lucie winds is less than half that of major wind farms in the American West.

''The power it's going to produce is so tiny,'' complains Julie Zahniser of the Save St. Lucie Alliance. ``It's political. Governor Crist wants to be seen as this green Republican, and FPL wants to make him happy. . . . The wind hasn't changed. The technology hasn't changed.''

Ryan Wiser, a renewable-energy expert at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, says a project with St. Lucie-strength winds would not be attempted in the West. ``Why would you pick a place like the Southeast?''