Comment

Comment by Art Brigades on February 12, 2019 at 1:36pm

Hanna Pingree has defended grid scale wind based on her Vinalhaven experience.  But hold on a minute. People on Vinalhaven are quaintly primitive by choice.  Vinalhaven was a step or two above 3rd world status: cut off from the mainland by miles of water, rationing everything from water to trash to food, generating 40 cent electricity with diesel engines, etc.  Aside from the folks who had to vacate their homes, the island didn't do terribly with their three wind turbines. But that doesn't mean wind is a fit for the rest of Maine. With a population of 1150, Vinalhaven has one turbine for every 385 residents.  If Maine had one turbine for every 385 residents, we would have 3400 turbines.  With 400 presently, it's difficult to stand on any 2000' vista in Maine without seeing turbines.  Where would we put 3000 more? Hanna has the reputation of being very smart.  Here's hoping she gets smart about her new job.

Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on February 12, 2019 at 12:20pm

Governor Mills' goal of attracting data centers might have some merit based on the fact that data centers, which generate tremendous heat, can save money on air conditioning by being located in cold climates. However, these data centers use very large amounts of electricity which tends to be very expensive in the northeast compared to the rest of the country. One would think that to attract data centers, Maine would have to take every step possible to lower its energy costs. Lowering energy costs is not compatible with the governor's other goals of increasing wind and solar. Will the governor work with the Trump administration to stop Massachusetts from blocking interstate natural gas pipeline into Maine?

Comment by Long Islander on February 12, 2019 at 10:30am

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-ro...

Comment by Dan McKay on February 12, 2019 at 10:11am

Considering that the "  Office of Policy Innovation and the Future "  is a brand new agency, our taxes are already paying the favors of wind and solar lobbyists.

• "to assist the University of Maine in the research and development of offshore wind power." 
•  Is Cianbro funding this and offering power at wholesale market costs ?
• "to provide incentives for community and residential solar power"
• Obviously, an attack on our electric bills
• "to promote energy efficiency and weatherization
• More money for Efficiency Maine Trust, an unaccountable state agency.
• to increase the use of heat pumps;
• Same as immediate above, see Willem 's Post  on heat pumps in cold weather states.
• to build charging stations and incentives for electric vehicles
• What electric vehicles ?  The ones the rich people own ?
• and to help local and state government become “green.”
• More charges to help one government agency fund other government agencies with other people's money

Comment by John F. Hussey on February 12, 2019 at 10:04am

YAWN!!!  Offshore wind... twice as expensive and twice as expensive to maintain.  One good hurricane will take care of that crap!