Nick Longfield, managing director of Ocean Marine Services Ltd., based in Wales, spoke at a seminar at Hobcaw Barony and showed pictures of large turbines that are already twirling and producing energy on wind farms in Europe.

The turbines have not reached Horry or Georgetown counties, but wind tests to show whether the wind farms could work are already in place, said Paul Gayes, director of the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies.

Towers and buoys are measuring wind speeds, on land and offshore, in different parts of the Grand Strand, he said.

There are plans to measure wind speeds with a tower placed higher above the ocean within the next six months, Gayes said. It will give a more accurate picture of where a wind farm could be located.

"We're trying to find a spot offshore," he said. "If we have six months of data, we will have enough to show where the tower should be. You want to have proof, that is ultimately the goal."

Attendees at Friday's meeting included officials from Georgetown County and the city of Georgetown.

Representatives from Santee Cooper and Coastal Carolina University, who have partnered in wind studies, also participated in the seminar.

Clemson University's Restoration Institute is partnering with Palmetto Wind, Santee Cooper's offshore effort to study potential wind power. The Restoration Institute brought Longfield to several locations in the Lowcountry to talk about the potential of wind farms, according to information from Clemson University.

The wind farms offer a cleaner, more stable form of energy, Longfield said.

In Europe, it has been shown that a wind farm with at least 50 turbines can provide power for about 120,000 homes, he said. The wind farms also increase the community's desire to save power and conserve the environment.

"People start to know what they have to do to get their electricity," Longfield said. "It's a more conscious thing, how we use our power. It's a real change of attitude."

Santee Cooper has investigated the potential of onshore wind power, said Mike Brown, manager of economic development.

Wind mapping has been done and equipment is currently measuring wind speeds in several locations, including Hobcaw Barony and Waties Island.

"We've been trying to look at the coastal regions and trying to get some actual measurements," he said.

Most of the wind tests show the turbines would work better offshore, Brown said.

At least six buoys placed offshore are measuring wind speeds at a lower level, but more wind speeds will be measured with taller equipment in the next several months.