June 2018 Blog Posts (54)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The wind and solar industries hope demand for carbon-free power from U.S. cities, states and corporations can offset headwinds from President Donald Trump’s tax policy and tariffs, developers said this week............“More and more corporations and consumers are saying ‘We want 100 percent renewable energy,’” she said, adding city and state governments are adopting renewable-friendly policies to reflect that growing demand................Meanwhile, the industry is…

At a time when the U.S. newspaper industry is most often described as “dying” and “decimated” and publishers agree that “flat is the new up” with regard to profitability, a lot of eyes are on Maine.

They’re looking here, not because the picture is significantly brighter but because Maine’s newspaper industry is now unlike any other in the country. There’s not another state that has a single individual owning the majority of its daily newspapers, as is suddenly the case here.…

Avangrid Inc. says storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, as it learned in Maine’s October 2017 windstorm, which left hundreds of thousands of customers in the dark for days.

Michael West, an Avangrid spokesperson, says the company is responding with a 10-year program to improve the system’s resiliency.…

QUESTION

Renewable energy sources like wind and large scale solar benefit Maine’s wildlife by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but can also bring negative outcomes, including bird mortality and habitat degradation. How would you balance the benefits of renewable energy with wildlife and habitat impacts?

RESPONSE

Balancing the environmental benefits and impacts is the role of the environmental review process, handled through DEP…

The Lewiston City Council unanimously approved the Central Maine Power company’s plan for a clean energy DC to AC conversion station.

It will be located near the power substation in north Lewiston.

[CMP inks deal crucial to $950M plan to pipe hydropower…

New land-based wind development in the region has slowed, challenged in part by uncertainty over transmission line connections and competition between state clean-energy mandates. The real action is happening offshore, where Northeast states are cutting deals for giant wind farms.

In Maine, specifically, new wind development has largely stalled, held back in part by political opposition and technical challenges.............................. In northern and eastern Maine, a lack of new…

A multimillion-dollar project that would bring hydroelectric power from Quebec to Massachusetts through Maine received an official nod of support from the City Council last week, as Lewiston is set to become a centerpiece of the proposal.

The Central Maine Power Co. project, known as New England Clean Energy Connect, or NECEC, received unanimous support from the council because of its potential tax impact for Lewiston.

The project would channel 1,200 megawatts of energy…

The National Ocean and…

RE proponents claim New England’s nuclear, gas, oil and coal plants could be shut down, because the following would provide electricity service, 24/7/365, at a minimum reliability of 99.97%:

1) Wind and solar

2) Hydro + bio (mostly wood) + refuse + landfill methane

3) Energy storage (mostly batteries)

4) Supply management (including curtailments) and demand management (may include forms of rationing)

5) Energy efficiency

6) Utilizing the…

As Steven Goddard notes here in a piece titled “Thirty Years of the James Hansen Clown Show,” an ice-free Arctic and a Manhattan underwater are just some of the Hansen predictions that have failed to transpire.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/06/23/thirty-years-dirty-tricks-congress-launched-great-global-warming-scare/

Avangrid-CMP insists it’s too costly to spend an additional $37 million to tunnel under the river at the Kennebec Gorge, or string a longer route to cross upstream at Harris Station, Maine’s largest hydroelectric dam.

More here:

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/06/24/for-renewable-energy-advocates-a-lot-riding-on-kennebec-gorge/

Second…

The Trump administration on Thursday released a blueprint for a massive overhaul of the federal bureaucracy, one that if implemented would touch virtually every agency and the way all Americans receive government services.…

Electric car maker Tesla…

Maine also needs ambitious targets for large-scale clean energy. Requiring at least 40 percent of power generation to be renewable (primarily grid-scale wind and solar) by 2030 will advance Maine’s energy independence and resilience, boost economic development, and ensure cleaner electricity that provides even greater emissions savings from electric vehicles and heat pumps..................…

The newspaper's previous owner, S. Donald Sussman gave hedge fund D.E. Shaw its start by staking them $28 million. D.E. Shaw was the longtime owner of Maine's leading wind developer, First Wind. See:

Billionaire husband of US Congresswoman pushed green energy in his newspapers

The newspaper has the audacity to write "So why waste time with a wind…

“The governor will release the names of the members of the wind commission when their first meeting is scheduled, which will likely be later summer or early September, after the public comments have been received,” McGrath replied via email.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,It is known that McGrath will chair the 14-member panel. That fact is disclosed in a sworn statement filed by McGrath on June 4, as …

A great article about the politics of energy based on the reaction of wind & solar advocates whining about the proposal to ensure that the USA keep enough of its base load generating fleet to keep the lights on.  Written by Stephen Moore, who was involved in writing the administration's tax bill.

Excerpt:  "But the idea that renewables are “cheap” is a lie, and those on the Left know it. Let’s be clear about an economic reality that environmentalists have spent four decades trying…

Former Governor Baldacci, vice chair of Avangrid fails again. Although this is NY, it's a good example of how David can beat Goliath. 

In a letter to Hopkinton’s town board, an attorney for Atlantic Wind – the parent company of Avangrid Renewables – said executives “will cease all development efforts” after nearly a decade working on the proposed North Ridge Wind…