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.
Study group proposes modest goals for Maine renewable energy storage
A commission that studied the potential for projects to store excess renewable power generated in Maine has recommended that the state set a short-term goal of reaching 100 megawatts of capacity by 2025 to send an important signal to investors and developers. The non-binding target is modest compared with what states such as Massachusetts and New York are proposing, and it doesn’t commit any state money. Still, the proposal recognizes the “value and benefits that strategic investment in energy storage . . . Complete story »
Columbia wind project proposed
COLUMBIA – The wind may be blowing a new source of power into Washington County. Apex Clean Energy, based in Charlottesville, Va., is developing plans for a wind farm in Columbia and land nearby in the Unorganized Territory, with hopes of completing the project in October 2022, said Paul Williamson, a senior development manager with the company. The project, known as Downeast Wind, is proposed for 22,000 acres in Columbia and townships 18 and 24 in the Unorganized Territory. A total . . . Complete story »
Virginia wind energy firm proposes to erect 30 turbines in western Washington County
COLUMBIA, Maine – A wind energy firm based in Virginia is proposing to erect 30 turbines in western Washington County, spread out around state-owned public reserved land in Township 18. A group of camp owners on Schoodic Lake are unhappy with the proposal from Downeast Wind and made their feelings known Thursday evening at a public meeting at the Columbia town office. Downeast Wind officials said at the meeting that they are considering around 40 sites at the moment, but plan . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind task force meets today at UNH
New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts are set to begin planning how they might develop offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine. The first meeting of the tri-state task force takes place all day today at the University of New Hampshire and is open to the public. The group is led by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, where Jim Bennett is head of renewable energy. He tells NHPR that offshore wind could transform the region’s grid. “A wind . . . Complete story »
Our power, their pain: What do ‘renewable’ and ‘green’ mean?
Terms like “renewable energy” and “clean energy” mean different things in different places at different times, and Canadian hydropower is in a grey zone that sometimes counts and sometimes doesn’t. Even at the federal level, Canada and the United States use the terms differently. Natural Resources Canada, a Canadian federal agency, uses something like a dictionary definition of renewable energy: “Energy derived from natural processes that are replenished at a rate that is equal to or faster than the rate . . . Complete story »
As wind farm looks to expand, Clifton more stringent standards will come into play
Years ago, when the Clifton Planning Board was considering an application that would allow Pisgah Mountain LLC to build five wind turbines, Chair Bruce Jellison decided to do his own research. He and other Clifton town officials traveled to a few wind farms across the state to find out how the installation had affected neighboring residential areas. His trip to see turbines in Mars Hill in Aroostook County made him realize that he didn’t want Clifton to merely stick to . . . Complete story »
Maine eyed for project that converts electricity to storable gas
Maine could be a prime location for a pilot project that converts surplus electricity from wind farms and other renewable generators into a gas that can be stored in underground pipelines. Such a project would help solve a growing problem, a top gas company executive told lawmakers this month. The transmission lines connecting Maine’s far-flung renewable generators to the regional electric grid sometimes are too weak to carry all their power. When that happens, grid operators order generators to reduce . . . Complete story »
Sale of Hancock County wind farm project puts it on fast track toward completion
A Canadian investment firm has acquired the roughly $150 million Weaver Wind project in Hancock County and intends to begin installing turbines on the state’s newest wind farm in February. The land-based wind farm project, which has been in planning stages for five years, is scheduled to be up and running by October 2020. It will comprise 22 turbines and is expected to produce 72.6 megawatts of wind energy, enough to power 15,000 to 20,000 Maine homes annually. The developer . . . Complete story »
Maine utility regulators approve tests for floating wind turbine project off Maine coast
Maine’s Public Utilities Commission has approved a project that will test a floating platform that will hold up to two wind turbines, near Monhegan Island. Earlier this year, Maine’s Legislature passed a law requiring the PUC to approve the University of Maine’s Aqua Ventus project – and the University of Maine recently received a grant of about $5 million to help develop the platforms. The Aqua Ventus project could add to Maine’s economy by bringing more research and development dollars into . . . Complete story »
State approves power-purchase contract with UMaine wind project
Maine regulators approved a power contract with the experimental offshore wind project led by the University of Maine, an essential next step in the project’s development. The 20-year power-purchase agreement requires Central Maine Power to buy electricity produced by a floating wind power project built by a partnership between the Maine Aqua Ventus consortium and the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. A notice of the agreement was posted on the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s website. The project, . . . Complete story »
