N.C. General Assembly, a desire to promote renewable energy has bumped up against a legislative effort to protect the natural beauty of the mountains. Some legislators from mountain counties worry that the beauty of the mountains could be ruined by the construction of commercial wind farms along mountain ridges. State senators are now considering a bill that — as it’s currently written — would effectively ban any large-scale generation of wind power in the mountains.

The bill appeared to be headed for passage in the Senate last week because it had the support of several key Democrats from the mountains. Allowing large wind turbines would “destroy our crown jewel,” said Sen. Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe.

Not necessarily. Douglas Uzelac, the general manager of the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center at Appalachian State University, wasn’t quite sure he wanted North Carolina’s largest wind turbine going up in the inn’s back yard.

“My main concern is what would it do for the guest’s experience at the Broyhill,” he said. He especially worried that the noise would be disturbing.

The 34-foot blades have been turning on the 121-foot tower less than a month now, and Uzelac said he’s had no complaints. Instead, guests have asked so many questions about the wind turbine that he printed information sheets to hand out to the curious.

He plans to install a display in the lobby that will show how much electricity the turbine is generating, and he sees the wind turbine as an asset in demonstrating how people can be better stewards of the environment.

“What better cool thing than to have a wind turbine in your backyard when you’re talking about going green,” he said.

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