The Portland Press Herald’s June 11 story (“Time has altered Maine’s offshore wind ambitions”) reported on continuous research and development into size and capacity of offshore wind turbines to do a better and better job of capturing and generating wind for energy needs.
Anchoring wind turbines offshore is both time-consuming and financially costly. Unlike automobiles, which are manufactured year in and year out, wind turbines are huge and cumbersome, not conveniently replaced. What will be the working lifetime of a wind turbine before it becomes obsolete and has to be replaced with a better and more efficient wind energy-producing turbine?
Living on an island near a wind farm does not necessarily generate lower electricity rates for the residents, any more than living in a community with a petroleum refinery generates lower gas prices for its residents.
Richard Mackin Jr.
Millinocket
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