Dr. Greg Upton of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies spoke with WWL’s Tommy Tucker on Thursday and made a case for wind as the energy source of the near future.
Unlike Texas which generates power from West Texas badlands, known for being exceptionally windy, Louisiana’s winds are most prevalent out in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Our wind potential would be more offshore,” Upton says. “The federal government right now is in the process of hopefully leasing offshore land in order to be used for wind. The state is in the same boat, trying to lease that land.”
Upton is betting that wind farm proliferation can get underway as a soon those lease sales are completed.
“And what we’re hoping is that we’ll have commercial development and companies can come in make that economically feasible,” Upton says. “So wind definitely can be in Louisiana’s future.”
Already companies based in Port Fourchon are gearing up for the proliferation of windfarms in the Gulf. They're readying for a projected boom in Gulf development of wind platforms to compliment oil pumping platforms.
“Everyone I’ve talked to in industry probably says we’re still two or three years out before the first offshore wind farm is producing power.”
