A windy day for Blackwater

You only seem to get bad news about the Private Security companies, so, I am giving some good news. I hope that this will make a few people decide that maybe they aren't so bad after all.

I wish I could join up, but old and crippled Marines just aren't in much demand with all the young studs with fresh skills available. Oh well. At least I can help them get the word out.

"The state of North Carolina has long been known for farming and Blackwater Worldwide is introducing a new crop, wind. Well, Blackwater isn’t exactly farming wind but the ten-year-old firm known for its training and contracting will be generating electricity by means of harnessing wind energy through a wind turbine. A ribbon-cutting ceremony at Blackwater’s headquarters in Moyock, N.C. is expected by March 1, 2008.

Ted Vogel, alternative energy officer for Blackwater’s renewable energy program states, “This will be the largest grid-connected wind turbine in the state and the first for a commercial, light industrial location. “This will be the largest wind turbine by a factor of 20, with a rated capacity of 50 kilowatts. The nearest turbine at the Coquina Beach Bathhouse, a parks and recreation area, has a generation capacity of only 2.5 kilowatts. The turbine chosen for Blackwater’s needs is manufactured by Entegrity Wind Systems of Canada.

Blackwater was granted a special use permit at a hearing by Camden county commissioners on November 19th. This project has drawn many letters of support and advice from local conservation and renewable energy leaders including the N.C. Coastal Wind Working Group, North Carolina Audubon Society, the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association and the North Carolina Solar Center. Blackwater has promoted and encouraged appropriate legislation on wind turbines that benefit the local business economy as well as residential applications of wind energy technologies on the North Carolina Coast.

The North Carolina Solar Center at N.C. State University has expressed interest in working with Blackwater to gather data regarding power output. “They have programs on anything having to do with renewable energy. We have discussed setting up a web site that will permit tracking and real time data sampling on wind energy projects in North Carolina.” "