Maine Wind Energy Expanding to Offshore
Amendments to LD 1810 helps Maine expand wind usage
An amendment to act LD 1810, an act expressing recommendation for offshore wind energy production found unanimous approval from the Maine Energy and Utilities Committee. The changes in the act focused on deep off-shore. This is in response to people who disagree with the act for environmental reasons.
The amendment of the act helps Maine expand its wind energy program to offshore still, but just farther offshore, more than 10 miles from the coast. Studies show that the wind off the coast of Maine is much better in terms of strength and how much can be garnered if handles correctly.
University of Maine Professor and director of the AEWC Advanced Structures and Composite Center, D. Habib Dagher claims the wind offshore is better and can put environmental minded people at peace.
“Class 7 wind is available 20 miles offshore in the Gulf of Maine, that is where we need to put the turbines” said Dagher. “The wind is much better, and public acceptance will not be as much of a problem.”
Dagher is heading the lab at the University of Maine that will advance the development of technology to create these floating offshore turbines in order to make sure that all of the potential energy out in the deep ocean can be obtained.
Contrary to popular belief, not all wind is created equal. There is a hierarchy of the quality of wind according to how much potential energy in watts per square meter. The classes are assigned in ranges, with class 1 being 200 watts/square meter, and class 7 having a range of 800-2000 watts/square meter. If class 7 winds are available that far offshore, and wind energy proponents can tap into that, it looks like a win-win for everybody.
Susan Collins on the Offshore Wind Energy Wand Grant
Maine has had much success with wind power. With over 18 locations of either working wind farms, or those in the developmental stages, it appears that Maine has emerged as a leader in the area of wind energy. Mars Hill Wind Farm, the biggest and best of Maine’s wind farms, has been standing since 2007 and has been very profitable for the inhabitants of Aroostook County. It is estimated that Mars Hill avoids around 120,000 tons of CO2 per year, which is about one-fourth of the CO2 emissions that the state avoids yearly through the use of wind farms. The Farm cuts down on emissions while still providing enough power to supply 45,000 homes with electricity. Needless to say, wind power can be effective when garnered in the right places, and deep offshore of the coast of Maine appears to be the next step in expanding wind energy to more than the 5% of Maine’s total energy that it currently supplies.
Another perk that comes along with the building of wind farms, both on and offshore, is the way in which it boosts the economy. In 2008, the wind industry created over 35,000 jobs for people across America, and in fact creates more jobs than dollars invested on wind energy projects.
Maine appears to have taken a step in the right direction, helping the world’s leader in wind energy production take their production to a whole new level.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine
http://www.workingwaterfront.com/online-exclusives/Maine-sets-sail-to-be-wind-energy-leader/13215/
http://www.nrcm.org/maine_wind_projects.asp
http://www.mainewind.org/
http://www.endlessenergy.com/
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/wind-turbines-neuro-acoustical.shtml
http://maineinsights.com/perma/growing-wind-energy-in-maine
http://www.windtaskforce.org/
http://www.windaction.org/documents/23095
http://offshorewindwire.com/2010/04/02/maine-legislation-amended-to-focus-on-deepwater-wind/
http://earth2tech.com/2008/11/28/massive-gulf-of-maine-wind-farm-proposed/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-i1385bDkU
http://www.ciweb.org/storage/lectures/2010/HabibDagher.jpg
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