The task force and the University of Maine will test floating platforms, anchoring systems, new lightweight blade composites, their performance in the harsh environs of the Gulf of Maine, and the servicing and delivery of these systems into the Gulf as the deep-water wind industry matures. The pursuit of the deep-water wind energy industry is driven by state and national energy policies. The Obama Administration has set a national goal of 20 percent wind energy by the year 2030, and Governor John Baldacci wants Maine to host 3,000 megawatts of wind energy by 2020, with at least 300 megawatts offshore. The Gulf of Maine has enormous energy potential, said Dr. Robert Marvinney, state geologist with the Department of Conservation. An offshore wind power industry is expected to provide Maine jobs and boost the state’s economy, as well as meet state and national energy goals, said Marvinney. Site selection is expected by Dec. 15. The public comment period will close mid-November. The state is well situated for offshore wind power, Marvinney said. The Gulf has deep water and a superb wind resource, and the state has three deep-water ports for shipping, as well as industrial partners and the University of Maine as a research partner. The goal is to generate 300 megawatts of electricity by the year 2020. One wind turbine generates five megawatts. A commercial wind farm might comprise 20-60 turbines, said Beth Nagusky, director of the Office of Innovation and Assistance at the Department of Environmental Protection. The Gulf of Maine is one of the best wind resources in the world, Marvinney said. It is estimated that Gulf wind can generate 149 gigawatts of energy per year, or about 40 nuclear power plants’ worth. The Gulf comprises about 8.3 percent of the offshore wind resource for the U.S. Europe is at least 15 years ahead of the U.S in the development of offshore wind energy, said University of Maine/Orono professor Habib Dagher. Last year, Europe had 150,000 jobs in wind energy-related businesses. Europe expects to have 370,000 jobs by 2030, with more than half of those in offshore wind. Europe currently has offshore wind power installations generating 1,000 megawatts per year and expects to generate 4,000 mega- watts by 2018, By comparison, the U.S. generates zero megawatts using offshore wind turbines. In Maine, Dagher said, the industry is expected to create 15,000 jobs over the next 20 years. About half will be in turbine manufacture, and the rest in support structures, power collection, power transmission, and installation. The annual wind potential in the U.S. is estimated to be 10,777 billion kWh, more than twice the current amount of domestically generated electricity. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wind power generation currently accounts for 35 percent of all new electrical energy generation capacity and can supply 1.2 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The Maine initiative is expected to result in an economic boon when the deep-water wind industry begins to seek out opportunities in the Gulf of Maine. Most folks at the Ellsworth meeting supported the initiative in general, but had specific concerns. “I’m a big supporter of wind power,” said Nancy Hathaway of Surry. She was interested in displacing fossil fuels, not adding another technology on top of fossil fuel. “I’d like to see us decrease our energy use,” said Hathaway. Marviney said wind is viewed as an opportunity to displace fossil fuels. “Maine has a tremendous wind resource,” said Nagusky. One of the best uses for that resource, Nagusky said, would be to replace imported oil. Eighty percent of Maine homes heat with oil and all cars run on gasoline. The task force is looking at wind energy not just as a way to keep the lights on and run computers, but with the long-term aim to get away from oil dependence, Nagusky said. As part of that effort, she said, energy conservation and energy efficiency are also high priorities of the state. Some people were concerned about the impact of offshore wind structures on the fishing industry. Ted Hoskins of Isle au Haut said it will be important to consider commercial fishermen. “They’re part of our state in a rather significant fashion,” Hoskins said. Fishermen were among the first stakeholders contacted by the task force, said Marvinney, and they have marked up maps to show places they fish. “We’re going to weigh those very heavily in our site selection,” he said. Harry Hunter, a Stonington fisherman, said he was concerned for the fishing industry about underwater cables. With the demonstration sites’ limited lifespan of three years, the goal is to test and perfect the technology, at this point, not to provide long-term power. With that in mind, said State Planning Office’s Maine Coastal Program Director Kathleen Leyden, every effort will be made to use existing cable locations or approved cable ways for the demonstration projects. A Deer Isle fishermen said he was concerned about the turbines sending vibrations down into the water and driving away lobsters. “I’m really nervous about having you experiment offshore where we’re fishing,” he said. Leyden said the demonstration sites will be made as small as possible in order to minimize displacement of the fishing industry. A Steuben schoolteacher praised the state for making ocean energy a fast-track issue. “Eventually,” he said, “I think most of us want to see this be more fully developed.” With that in mind, he said, it will be important to the educational system so that students will be prepared to enter the wind technology workforce as it develops. Task force members said that higher education institutions in Maine have already teamed up on a number of fronts, including marine engineering, and Maine held its first high school wind blade challenge last year, with 30 teams competing to build a composite blade. Michael Shook of Southwest Harbor wanted to know why sites off Mount Desert Island and the Schoodic Peninsula were not under consideration. Marvinney said that, in addition to navigation challenges, the task force felt they would be pushing too hard against one of the criteria for site selection—to minimize visual impacts—in relation to Acadia National Park. Paul Fuller of Bangor said that, given that the potential influx of out-of-state companies that will want to come in for commercial development, Maine should work out a way to ensure that profits from the industry stay within the state. Toby Stephenson, research associate with Allied Whale and curator of the Bar Harbor Whale Museum, said that commercial wind farms could potentially be in the territory of endangered marine mammals. Leyden said the task force is looking at monitoring plans for environmental impacts the facilities may have on Maine’s wildlife, natural habitat, and scenic quality. State has gathered input and advice from experts on topics including birds, bats and marine mammals, she said. Federal protocols will kick in, including those under the Endangered Species Act, when commercial development begins in federal waters, she said. The state is also working with federal agencies to develop an efficient leasing process for federal waters, Leyden said. Stephanie Clements, conservation director for Friends of Acadia, said FOA is concerned about the Isle au Haut site, with regard to its scenic impact. Isle au Haut section of Acadia National Park is just as important as MDI and Schoodic, she said. She asked the task force to remove the site from consideration. Janet Toth, the community development coordinator for Ellsworth, said the boatbuilding industry has the potential to diversify into the composite manufacture of blades. “We need to get in on this cutting edge,” Toth said. Blade construction would be a significant manufacturing opportunity for Maine, said Ward.Most blades now come from overseas, he said. Rob Bauer of Blue Hill wanted to know about the maritime security implications of offshore facilities. For information on the Ocean Energy Task Force, visit www. maine.gov/spo/specialprojects/oetf. |
