Maine Sustainable Economy Business News

Few Bird Deaths from Vinalhaven Wind Turbines

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Wed, 11 May 2011 01:11:00 +0000

The conclusion of a recently released study about how many birds fly into the three industrial wind turbines on Vinalhaven: Not many. Fewer than 10 per year, ornithologist Richard Podolsky said.

Podolsky was hired by Fox Islands Wind LLC to do a 28-month study on the wind turbines’ effect on local eagles and osprey. The study was required by the town’s wind ordinance.

Endangered Species May Derail Windfarm

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:41:00 +0000

PressHerald:

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recently expressed concerns about the planned wind farm's impact on certain species in comments prepared for the state agency reviewing the developer's request for construction permits.

The habitats of lemmings, mayflies, spring salamanders, bats and birds would be put at considerable risk, according to the report to the Land Use Regulation Commission. The lemming and mayfly are on the state's endangered list. The salamander and eight species of bats in the plantation are all on a state "special concern" list.

The comments surprised developers, who have been working with the wildlife department for the last four years in their effort to install 39 wind turbines on ridges in the tiny community.

$1.2 Million for Alternative Energy Education

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:29:00 +0000

MaineBiz:

Northern Maine Community College has received $1.2 million to open an alternative energy education and training center.
The funding from Presque Isle native Mary Smith is one of the largest private contributions a community college in Maine has received, according to a press release. The college will use the money to establish the Northern Maine Center for Excellence in Alternative Energy Training and Education, a concept already in the works but which had lacked funding to move ahead

900,000 acres sold

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:26:00 +0000

Bangor Daily News:

Nearly 1 million acres of Maine forestland are about to change hands.

Under a deal slated to be completed Feb. 1, a company called BBC Land LLC with ties to a Colorado billionaire will purchase more than 900,000 acres — much of it in eastern and western Maine — from current owner GMO Renewable Resources.

John Cashwell, a local consultant for BBC Land, said very little will change under the new ownership. BBC Land will continue to manage the land as a working forest and will still allow public access for recreation, Cashwell said.

Pollution prevention needed for Gulf of Maine

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:19:00 +0000

Mainebiz:

"The report, 'U.S. Gulf of Maine Habitat Restoration and Conservation Plan,' found that implementing conservation efforts -- including restoring fish and wildlife habitats, and developing ecosystem and ocean management plans -- will cost $3.03 billion, not including funding needed for the long term. The costliest initiative, at $2.7 billion, includes upgrading outdated sewage treatment systems to reduce pollution, remediating contaminated soils and launching stricter water quality testing. Restoring and conserving the gulf's ecosystems will create jobs and benefit the region's fishing, recreational and tourism industries, according to the report."

Downeaster extension gets more funds

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:02:00 +0000

Mainebiz: "The extension of the Amtrak Downeaster train from Portland to Brunswick currently under way is getting another boost from the feds.

Maine will receive another $3.3 million to help fund the $38.3 million project, scheduled for completion in 2012, on top of the $35 million the state has already received, according to The Associated Press."

Roxanne Quimby's Landholdings

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 01:48:00 +0000

The Maine Sunday Telegram looked into the recent development begun by Roxanne Quimby in Willimantic. Quimby, who owns over 100,000 acres in Maine, apparently prohibits hunting and motorized vehicles on much of this land. Many people have assumed that her landholdings would not be developed, but as the article reveals none of her properties have easements that restrict development.

"'Our message really is this genuine compassion for the local economy,' said Leathers. Among other benefits, it would provide a boost for the town's tax base, he said.

Quimby bought the land in 2002, at the urging of neighbors who were trying to protect it from development, said Fran Leyman of Bowdoin. Leyman owns a camp on a half-acre lot she leased and then bought from International Paper Co., which at the time was selling a half-dozen leased lots and 142 surrounding acres for about $200,000.
...
Leathers, Quimby's property manager, said he couldn't say whether she has similar plans for any of the other timberland she owns.

He said Quimby has no easements on any of her land to protect it from development.

"She enjoys having unencumbered title to property," he said.

Where is LePage on Wind Power?

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:38:00 +0000

The Press Herald asks this important question.

"Our next governor, who has said repeatedly that he is pro-business, should clearly voice his support for [wind power] business, which has the potential to play a key role in Maine's economic future.

The arguments against wind power break down into two main categories. The first is aesthetic (with both visual and aural complaints) and the second is economic, made by people who say that wind energy is too expensive and can't be harnessed without government subsidies.

While the second charge may be true, at least in the short run, it has also been true for hydroelectric dams and other new kinds of energy generators.

As wind power becomes established and the technology improves, new investment won't need the subsidies.

And the price of power is relative. There is no guarantee that natural gas prices won't spike, making wind power a lower-cost alternative, even if its price does not go down over time."

Roads are no Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:53:00 +0000

In what should be obvious to anyone who has looked at traffic problems throughout the country, simply adding more roads does not solve congestion problems. But when the people whose budget is based on road building are making decisions, too often that what happens.

Portland Press Herald:

"Some participants began the study with the idea that suburban congestion could be solved primarily through construction, perhaps with a turnpike spur or by expanding existing roadways, such as routes 22 and 114.

'But to make any road improvements last longer, we're going to have to ask communities to change how they develop,' said Carol Morris, a spokeswoman for the task force.
...
The study was conducted with $1 million from the Maine Turnpike Authority and the Maine Department of Transportation."

Construction on40-turbine wind project

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Bangor Daily News:

"The Lincoln Planning Board approved the project on Dec. 1, 2008, with the other host towns eventually following suit. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s permit for the First Wind subsidiary came in April 2009, but the project, probably the most protested since wind-to-energy companies began investing in Maine, had been in civil court since then.

The Friends of Lincoln Lakes, a citizens group formed to oppose the project, took its series of appeals to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court but lost. Its latest appeal, to the Board of Environmental Protection on Oct. 7, was rejected."

Tidal Energy Tests in Castine

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:56:00 +0000

Bangor Daily News:

"TEDEC provides a much-needed component in the emerging tidal energy industry, where there is a need for independent, reliable assessment of prototype turbines, Armstrong said. There are no independent “proving grounds” where designers and developers can test those devices, he said.

With no vested interest or commercial component to its operation, he said, TEDEC can effectively evaluate whether a design works.

“We’ll look at the physics of it, does it survive in a real-life situation outside of the lab,” Armstrong said. “We’re not so much interested in the number of light bulbs it lights up, but we’ll look at whether it behaves as the developer expected and whether it is capable of providing sufficient energy that can be fed to a generating device that produces electricity.”

Damariscotta Hardware Goes Solar

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:24:00 +0000

"Damariscotta Hardware recently had 301 photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of the 24,000-square-foot business on Business Route 1. The panels are designed to meet about 70 percent of the store's electricity needs.

The 69-kilowatt system was installed by Maine Energy Performance Solutions of Washington.

The project represents a major step in controlling energy costs for the 55-year-old family business, said Rob Gardiner, the company's president. The store installed a wood gasification boiler last year, cutting heating oil consumption by 90 percent. Electricity stood out as the next biggest energy expense, with a bill exceeding $13,000 in 2008."

- Portland Press Herald

Protesters Block Wind Farm Site

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:54:00 +0000

http://www.wmtw.com/news/24154856/detail.html

in reference to:

"Activists Block Maine Wind Site"
- Activists Block Maine Wind Site - Portland News Story - WMTW Portland (view on Google Sidewiki)

Gov. King Responds to Wind Power Critics

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:08:00 +0000

Portland Press Herald:

"There's an old saying that if you say something that's not true often enough, people will start to believe it. Unfortunately, that seems to be happening in Maine with wind power
Opponents write letters to the editor and have press conferences alleging dark conspiracies and using scary words like destruction, vibration, industrial (this is a favorite), and even a new ''disease.''

I haven't heard them blame the demise of the Red Sox last fall on windmills yet, but it could come any day.
So, here's a shot at setting the record straight on a few of the myths now circulating:"

Sardine Plant Closing

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:13:00 +0000

As the reduction in fish catches impacts the fishing industry, it is inevitable that businesses will close. The question is, what will remain if and when the fish stocks rebuild? Portland Press Herald:

"Bumble Bee Foods announced today it will close its Prospect Harbor sardine processing plant, the last sardine cannery in the United States, throwing 130 people out of work in April.

Company officials blamed the closing on the latest restrictions that have reduced the herring catch by 50 percent in the five years since Bumble Bee bought the company."

Complaints Over Vinalhaven Windmills

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:48:00 +0000

As has happened in other places with wind turbines in close proximity to residential areas, people are finding the noise unacceptable.

Portland Press Herald: "Dedicated two months ago with great fanfare, the Fox Islands Wind Project is producing plenty of power, but also, a sense of shock among some neighbors. They say the noise, which varies with wind speed and direction, ranges from mildly annoying to so intrusive that it disturbs their sleep. And they say they lament losing the subtle silence they cherish living in the middle of Penobscot Bay -- the muffled crash of surf on the ledges and the whisper of falling snow."

Aroostook Couty Wind Farm Approved

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Boston.com:

"Maine—The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has approved a permit for a wind project in the Aroostook County town of Oakfield.

The Massachusetts company, Evergreen Wind, LLC has proposed building up to 34 turbines that could generate enough energy to power more than 20,000 homes.

Evergreen filed an application with DEP in April.

The DEP said Thursday that it finds the project meets the criteria of the Natural Resources Protection Act and stormwater law."

Offshore Wind Test Sites Choosen

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:57:00 +0000

Portland Press Herald:

"The first experimental offshore windmill is expected to be installed late next year in waters south of Monhegan Island, off Port Clyde. Developers have yet to come forward with plans for the other two sites, one near Boon Island in York County and the other near Damariscove Island, south of Boothbay Harbor.

Baldacci called the effort the first of its kind in the country and said it holds huge potential for creating clean energy and Maine jobs. 'This is where the future lies,' he said."

Another Washington County Windfarm

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Bangor Daily News:

"First Wind plans to erect 17 wind turbines on Jimmey Mountain and Owl Mountain north of Route 169 in northern Washington County. The project, dubbed Stetson II, will extend First Wind’s 38-turbine Stetson Wind facility that was completed earlier this year on a ridgeline just south of Route 169.

Massachusetts-based First Wind received regulatory approval for Stetson II earlier this year but, like other wind power companies nationwide, had trouble lining up financing after the lending market for wind energy projects collapsed because of the recession."

Wind Power Fails

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:34:00 +0000

The problems in Kittery and Saco show that the site for windmills need to be thoroughly assessed before turbines are put up.

Portland Press Herald:

"In Maine, the theory and the practice never matched.

Saco and Kittery bought the wind turbines with the assurance that they would generate about 90,000 kilowatts a year. Entegrity guaranteed that output with the payment promise.

Saco's windmill generated only about 16,000 kilowatts from the time it was installed in February 2008 until this August, when a meter stopped transmitting data.

In Kittery, where the windmill was supposed to power a trash transfer station and lower the electricity bill for nearby Shapleigh Middle School, the machine generated about 35,000 kilowatts from September 2008 until this fall, when hydraulic brakes malfunctioned, locking the blades in place."

Tidal Energy Project

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:44:00 +0000

Mainebiz:

"Portland-based Ocean Renewable Power Co. will launch a demonstration project of its proprietary tidal turbine generator technology by early next year in Cobscook Bay, and expects to connect its first full-scale turbine to the power grid by the end of 2010.

'Once launched, the Energy Tide 2 will deploy the largest ocean energy device ever installed in U.S. waters,' said Chris Sauer, president and CEO of ORPC in a release. A prototype was launched in 2007 and tested for more than a year."

Vinalhaven Wind Turbines Up

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:09:00 +0000

Portland Press Herald:

"And on Tuesday, the $14.5 million Fox Islands Wind project officially goes on line with a ribbon-cutting event, marking the completion of Maine's first island wind project. It's also the largest community-owned wind project on East Coast.

Vinalhaven itself is a step back in time, a small, close community that looks out for its own. Stacks of lobster traps adorn the docks, and the cut granite that has been the island's industry for more than 100 years is everywhere.

The island has long generated its own power. Tidal waters flow under the Tidewater Motel, through the remains of a mill system that once used hydropower to run a granite cutting operation and a blacksmith's bellows with a network of belts. At one time, a coal-fueled power plant operated near where the ferry landing sits today."

Too Much Wind?

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Sun Journal:

"Instead, everyone learned that such a project might not even be viable, because First Wind studies so far show that wind atop Black Mountain is too strong for wind turbine engineering to handle, said Matthew Kearns, vice president of business development for First Wind.

'The gusts are extraordinary, and that's a problem for wind turbine bearings,' Kearns said. 'Turbine blades like a nice even wind.'

He said Black Mountain meets the minimum siting requirements for wind turbines, but the wind is too intense."

Kibby Ridge to StartUp

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:11:00 +0000

The Boston Globe:

"The ceremony will mark the completion of the first 22 windmills and the start of their production of power, which will flow to Central Maine Power Co. and through its interconnections to the New England grid.

The second 22 windmills in the project, on Kibby Ridge, are scheduled for completion in late summer or early fall of next year, said Corey Goulet, vice president of energy projects for TransCanada. The portion of the project to be dedicated today will provide the equivalent average energy needs of 25,000 homes.

When all 44 windmills are completed, the Kibby Mountain windmills will provide twice that power and become New England’s largest wind power project. It has an overall cost of $320 million, said Goulet."

Herring Catch To Be Cut

noreply@blogger.com (Elliott) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Portland Press Herald:

"Fishery managers from around the Northeast met Tuesday in Portland to discuss deep cuts in the herring catch for 2010. No final decisions will be made until November, but scientists are calling for a 53 percent reduction from this year's catch limit because of uncertainty about the health of the population."