After moratorium, North Carolina looks offshore for wind energy potential

North Carolina is open for business for wind development, now that its 18-month moratorium on land-based projects has expired. But don’t expect a rash of new turbines to be built anytime soon. Instead, industry experts say the state’s best potential for economic development from wind energy now comes from locating projects off the coast and manufacturing their components. “I think we’ll see a lot more momentum on offshore in North Carolina than I ever thought possible,” said Katharine Kollins, president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition. Clean energy advocates worried last year the wind energy ban might not expire on schedule. State Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown tried to extend it during an unusual lame-duck session in December, but legislators in the House pushed back.