Wind Power for Tangier Island

They also want to experiment with solar power on Tangier, harvest algae and convert it to biodiesel for islanders to burn in their generators, and encourage other researchers to study how each of these green energy supplies is progressing, according to a report Pilot Online.

"This could be a new sector for them, a financial opportunity - and not just for generating alternative energy, but as a site suitable for research," Jonathan Miles, a professor at James Madison University who is leading the Tangier initiative, told Pilot Online.

Miles said other universities are helping, too, including Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University, which both are evaluating wind power and its possible offshore development.

In addition, Prof Miles said, the US Department of Energy is looking to back research into the reliability and storage of wind power, and could be a source of future grant money.

"I can't make any promises for 2009, but there's particular interest at DOE in getting behind projects like we're envisioning on Tangier," Prof Miles said.

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