Wind and Solar Conditions in New England: New England has highly variable weather and low-medium quality wind and solar conditions. See NREL wind map and NREL solar map.

https://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/100m_wind/awstwspd100onoff3-1.jpg…

Almost all studies compare ICs and EVs, as if they traveled the same number of miles over a period of years. This is a serious error, because EVs travel, on average, about 9642 miles per year and ICs about 13433 miles per year, i.e., EVs travel about 28% less miles than ICs. The average annual miles driven by a driver is 13476. See Appendix.

In actual practice, EVs are mostly used for shorter trips, because of a lack of range, but ICs are used for short…

Here we go again, as usual! We are in the midst of a heat wave, with the highest demands of the year on the New England grid. We need to dispatch more power as demand soars far beyond base load. To what source do we turn? Gas fired plants--maxed out. Crank up the oil fired Wyman plant on Cousin's Island, fouling Maine air with the largest single point of air pollution in the state--GRRR!!! Prices soar as ISO-New England searches the spot market!

But what about wind power? Not a single…

California to Arizona sounds like Mass to Maine.

Billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer is financing the initiative through his NextGen Climate Action group, which supported similar efforts in Nevada and Michigan. But only the Arizona measure spawned a political battle, with the Republican-controlled Legislature passing a rule to help insulate utilities and the parent company of the state's largest electricity provider bankrolling opposition…

The company has provided few details so far about the project, which is part of a $214 million effort to improve the power transmission system throughout Greater Portland, including substation proposals in Freeport, North Yarmouth, Cumberland, Gray and Portland.

The plan to upgrade what’s called the Cape Substation comes as the city tries to control development in its increasingly popular waterfront neighborhoods, including a 2014 ban on loading crude oil into tankers that the…

The Heat Wave Sent U.S. Power Demand Surging to Highest in Years

No new wind farms have started up in Maine since 2016 and no new applications are pending. Politics is just one reason why. Developers must secure power purchase agreements, typically with utilities in southern New England. They also need firm transmission connections to the electric grid. Both are presenting challenges today....................

Opponents were buoyed by LePage’s stance and hope to influence the next governor. One group, Friends of Maine’s…

Shawn Moody

“It’s important that we embrace new technology, but we cannot subsidize special interest groups and harm Maine’s viewscape, just to benefit the profits of a few.”

Janet Mills

Mills said she strongly supports wind energy in Maine and wouldn’t extend LePage’s ban on new development.

Alan Caron

Caron would “proceed more cautiously” on land-based wind.…

Governor Sununu made a very wise decision to veto the two energy bills; one would have provided $90 million in subsidies to wood chip plants, the other would have provided $20 million in above market rates to larger capacity RE systems over three years.

These bills would have added about $110 million over three years to the electric bills of NH ratepayers. Most of that $110 million of subsidies would have been additional revenue for the owners of the wood-chip…

Taxpayers On Hook For 2 More Years - As Dead Wind Turbines Look Like Two Giant Upside Down Tooth Brushes Sticking Out Of A Toilet Bowl

Falmouth Massachusetts USA July 1, 2018

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…