Residents learn about offshore power

BUXTON, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and other state leaders are on hand as an Outer Banks community is introduced to the idea of massive offshore wind farms.

The governor and state Senate leader Marc Basnight of Dare County are attending a public meeting Friday in Buxton on the potential for coastal wind energy.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are expected to describe a new study that found parts of the coast and Pamlico Sound could generate industrial-scale wind energy. UNC researchers are expected to discuss the potential impacts of a wind farm on the coast's economy, quality of life, and environment.

Wind generates about 1 percent of the country's electricity, but is the fastest-growing type of renewable power.