People in the Central Maine Power service area in Maine are going to see a little cruise missile in their power bills this month. The electricity portion of our home's electric bill went from $.064494 per kilowatt hour to $.118161, an 83.2% increase. That's almost doubled, overnight.

If the price we paid through December 31st would have remained the same through the January portion of our billing period, we would have paid $58.68 for power. If the new rate would have been in effect for the entire billing period, we would have paid $107.53.

This is going to do serious damage to checking accounts over most of the state of Maine. Approximately $50 a month, or $600 a year, ...(MORE)...for power. Of course, during the warm months, folks with air conditioning are going to get clobbered.

Our total bill ($95.56 for "delivery" and $90.53 for "electricity") comes to $186.09. The cost of living in Maine is skyrocketing. Can Maine survive the Gold Coasters?

Maybe we should look at clean, plentiful, sustainable Canadian-generated hydro? Oh, wait.

Views: 377

Comment

You need to be a member of Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine to add comments!

Join Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine

Comment by Willem Post on January 25, 2022 at 5:05pm

This nonsense will not unless Mills and the fanatic, subsidy- chasing career bureaucrats and legislators are voted out.

Mainers have to go to the polls en masse, to overcome any vote counting shenanigans 

The voting centers must be staffed with 50% Republicans and 50% Democrats.

No vote gets counted, until after both agree to its validity.

Adjudication of votes must ALWAYS be done with a Democrat and Republican, in addition to observers

Comment by arthur qwenk on January 25, 2022 at 11:11am

Many Maine citizens  asked for it, Maine voted it in and  Maine got it.

Significantly higher energy costs now exist  when a lower cost hydro  clean alternative existed and would have been less costly long term.

Stupid is as Stupid does.

Comment by Dudley G. Gray on January 23, 2022 at 10:35am

Here's my new CMP bill

696 KWH  CMP delivery@.                .1073  =             74.70 

 255 KWH Supply -12 days @            0645  =             16.45   

 441 KWH supply -19 days @.           1181                  52.11.  83% increase

-------------------------------------------------------

                                                                               $143.26

But wait until next month

ESTIMATE                          750KWH. @ .2284 =        171.30.    38.4% total increase

last year same month        750         @.165    =        123.75

Dudley Gray in Rangeley Plt  -25.1 degrees 

Comment by Dan McKay on January 23, 2022 at 9:15am

Even President Obama, not the most truthful Politician, told us that if we promote wind and solar or if we just stand idly by as the bad people make laws to advance them, electricity prices will skyrocket. When you replace reliable resources with resources that act like drunks, the reliable resources become scarce and expensive. Next coming event will be the dreaded rolling blackouts.

Comment by Jim Wiegand on January 22, 2022 at 2:42pm
Comment by Eric A. Tuttle on January 22, 2022 at 2:24pm

And, right on cue, Hydro Quebec wants consumers to cut back in electrical usage. And right on cue they will again increase their local rates as they stoke up their fossil fuel generation facilities. 

With the power via Hydro Power that they claim to have to send south Through Maine (not for Maine) they seem to not be able to keep their own system or prices stable. 

They control the switch, so look at what the future would hold should those in Southern New England become the dependents of HQ.  Lights out every cold season in Quebec !

Why are we not seeing a similar issue each winter from the two lines through Maine that originate in New Brunswick? Quebec has never been friendly to the U.S. 

Comment by Willem Post on January 22, 2022 at 2:18pm

HERE IS SOMETHING TO SCREW UP YOUR MOOD FOR A LONG TIME, AND EMPTY YOUR POCKETBOOK

BIDEN 30,000 MW OFFSHORE WIND SYSTEMS BY 2030; AN EXPENSIVE FANTASY  

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/biden-30-000-mw-of-off...

 

The Biden administration announced on October 13, 2021, it will subsidize the development of up to seven offshore wind systems (never call them farms) on the US East and West coasts, and in the Gulf of Mexico; a total of about 30,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.

 

Biden's offshore wind systems would have an adverse, long-term impact on US electricity wholesale prices, and the prices of all other goods and services, because their expensive electricity would permeate into all economic activities.

 

The wind turbines would be at least 800-ft-tall, which would need to be located at least 30 miles from shores, to ensure minimal disturbance from night-time strobe lights.

 

Any commercial fishing areas would be significantly impacted by below-water infrastructures and cables. The low-frequency noise (less than 20 cycles per second, aka infrasound) of the wind turbines would adversely affect marine life, and productivity of fishing areas.

 

Production: Annual production would be about 30,000 x 8766 h/y x 0.45, capacity factor = 118,341,000 MWh, or 118.3 TWh of variable, intermittent, wind/weather/season-dependent electricity.

 

The additional wind production would be about 100 x 118.3/4000 = 2.96% of the annual electricity loaded onto US grids.

That US load would increase, due to tens of millions of future electric vehicles and heat pumps.

 

This would require a large capacity of combined-cycle, gas-turbine plants, CCGTs, to cost-effectively:

 

1) Counteract the wind output variations, MW, aka grid balancing

2) Fill-in wind production shortfalls, MWh, during any wind lulls

 

Such lulls occur at random throughout the year, and may last 5 to 7 days in the New England area.

 

These URLs provide examples of similar wind/solar lull conditions in Germany and New England

 

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/analysis-of-a-6-day-lu...

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/wind-plus-solar-plus-st...

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/wind-and-solar-energy-...

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/playing-russian-roulet...

 

Balancing the Grid: The ANNUAL grid balancing costs are entirely due to the variations and intermittencies of wind and solar, because the OTHER power plants have to operate far from their more-efficient modes of operation, 24/7/365.

 

When wind and solar were only a very small percent of the electricity loaded onto the NE grid, those balancing costs were minimal, sort of “lost in the data fog”

 

When wind and solar would become a large percent, those balancing costs in the UK became 1.3 BILLION U.K. pounds in 2020, likely even more in 2021, 2022, etc.

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/grid-balancing-costs-s...

 

Those balancing costs should have been charged to the Owners of wind and solar systems, but, in reality, they are politically shifted to taxpayers, ratepayers, and to government debts.

 

Those balancing costs are in addition to the various government subsidies, which are also politically shifted to taxpayers, ratepayers, and to government debts.

 

Now you all are finally beginning to see just how wonderful wind and solar have been for your pocketbook.

 

I saw this mess coming about 20 years ago, because I have about 40 years of experience as an energy systems analyst, but ignorant folks dismissed me.

 

The Biden fools adding 30,000 MW of very expensive offshore wind, would be a financial bonanza for Europe, because it will make oodles of money, plus it will permanently saddle the US, a trade competitor, with much higher energy costs, in addition to the enormous costs of defending Europe.

 

A master stroke, in deed, and the US is falling into their very expensive, debilitating trap.

 

Turnkey Capital Cost: The turnkey capital cost for wind systems, plus offshore/onshore grid extension/augmentation would be about 30,000 MW x $5,000,000/MW = $150 BILLION, excluding financing costs. Biden’s excessive inflation rates, about 7% at present, surely would increase that cost.

 

Area Requirements: The 8-MW wind turbines would be arranged on a grid, spaced at least one mile apart (8 rotor diameters), about 1 sq mile per wind turbine. The minimum sea area requirement for 30,000/8 = 3,750 wind turbines would be 3,750 sq miles, or 2,400,000 acres

 

Electricity Cost/kWh: Based on the real-world European, mostly UK and German, operating experience in the North Sea and Baltic, such highly subsidized wind turbine systems:

 

1) Last about 20 years

2) Have high maintenance and operating costs, due to the adverse marine environment

3) Produce electricity at an “al-in” cost of about 2 times the “calculated” values

 

The “all-in” wholesale prices of the offshore electricity of new systems are calculated at about 17 c/kWh, without cost shifting and subsidies, and about 9 c/kWh, with cost shifting and subsidies. The shifted costs and subsidies would result in:

 

1) Increased tax burdens on taxpayers

2) Increased household electric rates on ratepayers

3) Additions to federal and state government debts.

4) Additional burdens on the owners of traditional generators, because their power plants have to counteract the wind output variations, 24/7/365; the more wind (and solar), the greater the electricity quantities involved in the counteracting, plus their plants have to spend more time on standby, and are required to have more-frequent start/stops. See URLs and Appendix

 

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/grid-balancing-costs-s...

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/cost-shifting-is-the-na...

   

NOTE: These rates compare with the average New England wholesale price of 5 c/kWh, during the 2009 - 2022 period, 13 years, courtesy of:

 

1) Abundant, domestic, natural gas-fueled CCGT plants, that have: 1) low-cost/kWh, low-CO2/kWh, extremely-low particulate/kWh

2) Domestic, uranium-fueled nuclear plants, that have low-cost/kWh, near-zero CO2/kWh, zero particulate/kWh

3) Long-lasting hydro plants, that have low-cost/kWh, near-zero-CO2/kWh, zero particulate/kWh

 

NOTE: Cost shifting and subsidies have not yet affected NE wholesale prices, because the percent of new RE (mostly wind and solar) on the NE grid is very small, after 20 years of subsidies.

The image shows the negligeable “contribution” of wind + solar to the NE grid load, during 2020, after 20 years of subsidies!!

 

However, wind and solar became significant in Germany and Denmark, after 20 years of subsidies.

 

- Excessively allocating RE costs to households has greatly increased household electric rates.

- Industrial rates were kept artificially low for international competitiveness reasons. See URL

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/german-household-elect...

Comment by Jim Wiegand on January 22, 2022 at 1:37pm

For 20 years, corporate energy crooks have been pulling the same scam as big Pharma on Americans. Get rid of low cost solutions and soak consumers through rigging. 

It has to be very clear to most Americans what's really happened to them in the last year. Low cost Medicines that save lives have been banned and patients have been forced into using high priced drugs, vaccines and life support systems in hospitals. 

It's evil and actually firing squad worthy behavior. 

Comment by Paul Ackerman on January 22, 2022 at 12:08pm

Yup,thank you to all the idiots who voted the green propaganda line and killed the CMP/Hydro Quebec corridor. Beyond stupid. Of course electricity costs will keep going up as a consequence, though the current spike was baked in before the vote.

Just like Biden (the fraud) killing Keystone XL pipeline in his first day in office, and then saying "Oh, we have to release millions of gallons of oil from the strategic reserve to lower gasoline prices..." -- how stupid is this guy?  My electric bill went from a usual high for December of around $260 to $486...electric water heater, backup electric heat in a few rooms, and 220v shop tools w/ 3 phase converter, and I'm burning wood for primary heat source. I was stunned at the CMP billing.

Comment by Bob Stone on January 22, 2022 at 11:49am

Consumption was 910 KWH.

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “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 if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

Not yet a member?

Sign up today and lend your voice and presence to the steadily rising tide that will soon sweep the scourge of useless and wretched turbines from our beloved Maine countryside. For many of us, our little pieces of paradise have been hard won. Did the carpetbaggers think they could simply steal them from us?

We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

 -- Mahatma Gandhi

"It's not whether you get knocked down: it's whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi 

Task Force membership is free. Please sign up today!

Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

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-road-3/

© 2024   Created by Webmaster.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service