The future of wind-generated energy in Maine is looking very bright. The resource is here, the need is growing more obvious and the acceptance is gaining ground.
Why should we build wind generators in Maine when Maine already exports electrical energy? Wind energy is a clean, renewable energy source, abundant in Maine. Wind costs are predictable and permit fixed price contracts, something not possible with fossil fuel generated electricity.
Wind energy is becoming cost effective compared with fossil fuels. If one were to calculate the expense of pollution associated with coal and even natural gas-fired plants the cost benefit would be even greater.
Electricity can be used for all forms of energy needs. In addition to its current uses the transportation industry is about to explode with new and better electric vehicles. Batteries are improving each year. We can expect to see a successful plug in hybrid electric car available in the next year or two.
Companies are already working on ways to retrofit regular internal combustion engines to electric hybrid cars. Charging a car’s batteries at night will allow drivers to travel at a fraction the cost of gasoline. As technology advances it now appears that electric cars and electric hybrids will be operating long before a hydrogen car.
Heating homes with electricity is now becoming a viable option. This will not be resistance heating with electricity as in the past but using electricity to drive heat pumps, which have been around for a long time. They act like an air conditioner in reverse extracting the heat from the outside and delivering it to the home.
Geothermal heat pumps are beginning to gain favor. Here the heat is extracted from ground water allowing for a major efficiency factor. The initial cost of these systems is high but the payback can be surprisingly quick. Also exciting and new on the horizon is the cold climate heat pump.
Here the heat pump extracts the heat from the outside air. These units are purported to be able to operate effectively to 30 below zero. Although not as efficient as the geothermal systems, the installation cost is much less and the payback can also be in the three to five year timeframe. A Maine company, Hallowell International, has the inside track on this new heating system.
We are well on our way to have electricity be the inexpensive, non-polluting and convenient energy source for all of our energy needs. This makes wind energy all the more exciting. So what’s available and what is in the wings?
Mars Hill wind farm was completed in 2007 with 28 wind turbines capable of producing 42 megawatts of power. At 35 percent efficiency this will provide power to 20,000 homes. The wind farm provides $500,000 in tax relief to the local community or about 20 percent of the individual’s tax bill. From all accounts this has been a successful operation.
Kibby Mountain wind farm has been approved for construction this year. When completed in 2010, 44 wind turbines will be capable of producing 132 mw of power.
Stetson Ridge has received approval for a 57 mw wind farm. Construction should start this year.
Freedom has received approval for three wind generators that will provide the community with 4.5 mw of power
Passamaquoddy Land is expecting to install two wind turbines on tribal land this year with additional turbines planned for the future.
Partridge & Flathead Mts. & Record Hill has a wind project under consideration.
Black Nimble wind farm plans have been denied by the Land Use Regulation Committee.
St. John Valley wind project has been rejected by a local town committee.
Earlier this year the Legislature passed a bill that would streamline the permitting of wind projects. It sets up criteria for permitting and outlines which areas are potential sites and other areas not to be considered. The bill calls for developing at least 2,000 mw of wind power in Maine by 2015 and at least 3,000 mw by 2020. This is a major leap forward for future development of wind projects in Maine.
Former Gov. Angus King has made a bodacious proposal to build 1,000 wind generators 26 miles off the coast of Maine to produce 5,000 mw of electrical energy. These generators would be mounted on floating platforms much like floating oil drilling rigs, and provide all the electrical needs of Maine, utility, home and office heating and plug-in automobiles.
The state is on the cusp of a major shift in electric generation. This is a most welcome change and a microcosm of the direction the world energy production is headed.
Jack Bash is a Cornish resident and the past executive director of the Hydrogen Energy Center in Maine. He has recently retired from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island where he served as Marine Superintendent and Science Officer. He can be reached at bash@hydrogenenergycenter.org
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