Gareth McGrath’s recent coverage of the progress of offshore wind energy projects in coastal North Carolina was not only thorough, it was spot on: Wind energy is picking up steam here, our growing state needs it, and North Carolina is uniquely positioned to produce lots of it.

As McGrath’s StarNews article noted, Duke Energy is seeking approval from the N.C. Utilities Commission to add 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind energy to its portfolio within the next decade. That will help meet our state’s rising energy demand and create thousands of new, high-paying jobs while reducing carbon emissions from older coal plants.

Duke proposes to cluster wind turbines more than 20 miles off North Carolina’s southeast coast, where they’ll be barely visible (if at all) from the shore. My nonprofit organization, Conservatives for Clean Energy North Carolina, strongly supports the development of offshore wind, along with more solar and nuclear energy, to help power our state’s economic growth without polluting our water, air, and land.

More:Why development of Brunswick County’s offshore wind farms has largely moved onshore

Voters back wind energy

As a proven technology that’s increasingly feasible economically, wind power, like other kinds of clean energy, is broadly popular across North Carolina’s partisan and ideological lines.

In fact, North Carolina’s voters strongly support more energy choices and more renewable energy, including offshore wind. The 2024 North Carolina Energy Poll, conducted for CCENC and the national Clean Energy Buyers Association, found that among the state’s likely fall voters:

• More than 77% want more consumer choices in energy sources.
• More than 61% support building offshore wind turbines, up from 55% last year. Support rises to about 66% – or two-thirds – when told of the private investment wind energy would attract or that the turbines would be at least 22 miles from the shore.
• Overall, 74% think state law should encourage more investment in renewable energy. Clean energy is a winning issue for anyone running for office in North Carolina.

A national leader

North Carolina is already a national leader in solar energy, ranking fourth among the 50 states in its production while generating about 10% of our electricity.

Across the state, solar is aiding homeowners, employing thousands of North Carolinians, and giving struggling farmers a lifeline to support their families and keep their land.

With factories under construction where workers will build electric vehicles, expanded lithium mines, and new battery-production facilities – often in rural counties hungry for jobs and business investment – North Carolina anchors the Southeast’s growing “Battery Belt.”

And emerging advanced nuclear technology will help us boost our state’s energy production further while retiring aging and less efficient coal-fired power plants.

At a time of stark and often rancorous political divisions, we can all agree on the need for affordable, reliable, and efficient energy generation. North Carolina’s progress in clean energy is helping to lead the way as demand for electricity surges across our state and nation.

Having just celebrated National Clean Energy Week, North Carolinians can be proud that we’re a key part of the solution to America’s 21st-century energy challenges – not least in the warm, breezy waters off our southeast coast.

Carson Butts is state director of Conservatives for Clean Energy North Carolina.