Wind Power News: Maine
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Four whales die in 4 days: Wind farms creating ‘death zone’ at sea says ex–Greenpeace boss
Drilling foundations for offshore wind turbines and sound pulses used to prepare for the 900-foot towers may be creating a “death zone” for whales, a former Greenpeace chief claims. Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace and its ex-president in Canada, believes the acoustic systems used by vessels surveying the ocean floor harm the marine mammals’ sense of hearing – risking their crucial ability to navigate, and leading to more dead whales washing up onshore. His intervention comes after four minke . . . Complete story »
Maine PUC OKs 1-GW Longroad wind farm, LS Power transmission line amid equity and cost concerns
Dive Brief: The Maine Public Utilities Commission Tuesday unanimously approved a 1,000-MW wind farm to be built by Longroad Energy and a 345-kV transmission line planned by LS Power to deliver electricity from the project to ISO New England. With Massachusetts utilities preparing to buy up to 40% of the wind farm’s output and similar capacity on the power line, Maine ratepayers will pay about $1 billion for the projects, with a typical residential ratepayer seeing a $1 per month . . . Complete story »
Wind energy developer files to scrap power agreements
Declaring that the largest offshore wind farm in the state’s pipeline “cannot be financed and built” under existing contracts, Commonwealth Wind on Friday asked Massachusetts regulators to scrap the agreements the company reached with utilities and reopen a new round of bidding. Commonwealth Wind filed a motion with the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) seeking dismissal of the power purchase agreements it reached with utility companies in May, which would render them moot, and a reopening of the process of . . . Complete story »
Future of Aroostook wind energy project may hinge on Massachusetts
Before a multibillion-dollar transmission line and wind farm are built in northern Maine, officials in Massachusetts must determine if the project will benefit that state’s residents. Clean energy from the north, to help New England states meet their climate goals. Lower electric rates for Maine customers, with Massachusetts picking up the tab. High-voltage wires strung through Maine forestland and utility corridors, requiring approval as a “high impact transmission line” from the Legislature. Sound familiar? No, it’s not the New England . . . Complete story »
Conservation groups to rally against proposed Sears Island wind turbines
SEARSPORT – Friends of Sears Island, along with members of Islesboro Islands Trust, Sierra Club Maine, and others, will present a rally for Sears Island on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the parking lot of Mermaid Plaza, 1 East Main Street in Searsport (the building with the blue roof on the right as you enter town from Belfast). The public is invited to attend and learn more about Maine Department of Transportation’s proposal to develop a . . . Complete story »
15 years ago, a small Aroostook town went first on wind power – and hit turbulence along the way
Neighbors were assured the Mars Hill turbines would be nearly silent so they were surprised by the noise, the low-level vibrations and the periodic shadow-effects. More than a dozen Mars Hill homeowners sued the developer, First Wind, claiming the turbines were hurting their health and property values. The company eventually paid an undisclosed sum, and the homeowners agreed to stay quiet. Complete story »
Sears Island and its birds should be protected
I was horrified to read in last Wednesday’s Bangor Daily News that once again, Sears Island is in danger. I sincerely hope that the committee looking at the suitability of the area for a terminal for offshore wind development considers the fact that the island is one of the, if not the, best place to see spring bird migration on the coast between Rockland and Bangor. In the spring, the trees and bushes of Sears Island are alive with birdsong. . . . Complete story »
State testing Sears Island for suitability of offshore wind terminal
Heavy equipment rolled across the causeway to Sears Island Tuesday morning for a geotechnical survey done by the state of Maine that could help determine if the island is a suitable place to develop an offshore wind hub. But the rumble of machinery sounded ominous to environmental groups that want the island to stay undeveloped. Rolf Olsen, vice president of the Friends of Sears Island, said last week that the planned tree cutting and test hole boring seems problematic to . . . Complete story »
Big wind farms planned in far Northern Maine could benefit Mass.
The hottest clean-energy contest currently underway in New England doesn’t involve offshore wind farms, at least not this time. Instead of the waters south of Martha’s Vineyard, this race to tap into wind energy is taking shape in the sparsely populated timberlands of Northern Maine. And the state of Massachusetts has suddenly emerged as a key player. Tucked in the back of the clean-energy bill the Legislature approved on July 31 and sent to Governor Charlie Baker for his signature . . . Complete story »
Reserve margin may need to rise to 300% by 2040 as more renewables added to grid: ISO New England
“This scenario would require such a large amount of wind and solar that it may present significant challenges [to] the transmission system and require an outsized amount of land or offshore areas to be sited and developed for the necessary wind and solar farms,” the report warned. Complete story »
