The government wants to know what people think about generating energy from wind, currents and waves off the S.C. coast. The idea is to harvest energy from wind and water turbines and send the power back to shore through cables. The greatest potential for wind energy is beyond three miles off the coast, outside state territorial waters, said John Clark, a spokesman for the state Energy Office.

The notion is almost surreal - rows on rows of mammoth propellers, each blade taller than a football field is long, whirling offshore just above the horizon. The chances of seeing a wind farm in the ocean off South Carolina might be just that fantastic, even though it's getting a good hard look.