Wind power in Maine

Mars Hill wind farm.

In 2006, First Wind Holdings, LLC developed the first wind farm in Maine on Mars Hill (46°31.26′N 67°48.82′W). First Wind installed 28 GE 1.5 MW Wind Turbines at a cost of $85 million along the top and northern section of the mountain. The blades attached to the hub of the turbine are about 115 ft (35 m) long. This is small compared to the wind turbines available in 2021.

The 3 turbine Beaver Ridge Wind Project is located in Freedom Maine(44°29′48″N 69°20′01″W). It is owned and operated by Patriot Renewables and was commissioned on November 1, 2008.[10][11]

The Stetson I wind farm consists of 38 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines, with a total capacity of 57 megawatts, strung along the north-south ridge of Stetson Mountain (45°31′34″N 67°58′35″W). It generates approximately 167 million kilowatt-hours (kW·h) of electricity per year and began commercial operations in January 2009.[12] First Wind received $40.44 million from the federal government to complete the Stetson I project which was one of twelve grants made to wind projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus program.[13]

In March 2009, the LURC approved First Wind's $60 million 25.5 MW Stetson II expansion. Seventeen turbines were installed on nearby Jimmy (45°37′48″N 67°58′47″W) and Owl (45°35′34″N 67°57′34″W) mountains.[14]

First Wind was bought by SunEdison and TerraForm Power in November 2014.[15]

The Fox Islands Wind Power Project (44°05′38″N 68°52′05″W) is a 4.5 MW wind project consisting of three GE 1.5 MW wind turbines, providing power for North Haven and Vinalhaven Island. The $14.5 million project is expected to produce 11,600 megawatt-hours of electricity per year. Approved by a vote of 383–5 on July 29, 2008 by members of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, construction began on June 29, 2009, and the wind farm went online on November 17.[16][17][18] The project has significantly reduced rates on the island residents, who previously imported all their power from the mainland via a submarine power cable.[19][20] However, the noise generated by the turbines has caused considerable controversy on the island.[21]

In 2009, the University of Maine at Presque Isle installed a single 600 KW wind turbine on campus (46°40.0416′N 68°1.21′W) to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.[22] This turbine produces approximately 680,000 KWh per year and saves the university approximately $100,000 in energy costs each year. The turbine was damaged in a fire in April 2018.[23]

Kibby Wind Power

The Kibby Mountain wind farm project—at a capacity of 132 MW[24]—comprises forty-four 3 MW wind turbines strung along the ridges of Kibby Mtn. (45°25.12′N 70°32.66′W) and nearby Kibby Range (45°21.13′N 70°34.58′W).[25] is expected to generate about 357 million kilowatt-hours (41 MW·yr) of electricity annually. Half the turbines were put online in October 2009, and TransCanada completed the project in 2010.[26] The capital cost of the project is approximately US $320 million.[27] Work on clearing the site began by September 2008.[28] Kibby was purchased by LS Power through its affiliate Helix Generation in 2017.[29]

Two Northern Power Systems wind turbines were installed at the Jackman Land Port of Entry by the GSA to provide power for the U.S. border station (45.803226°N 70.395042°W / 45.803226; -70.395042 (General Services Administration)). The two wind turbines produce 200 kW and approximately 400,000 kWh per year. This provides approximately 50% of power required to operate the U.S. border station and saves the station from burning approximately 38,000 US gallons (140 m³) of fuel each year.[30] Construction began in April 2010 and the project went online in March 2011.

Spruce Mountain Wind Farm

The Spruce Mountain wind farm consists of 10 Gamesa G90 2-MW wind turbines. The project is located in Woodstock Maine.(44°25′12″N 70°33′19″W)[31]

In addition to the Stetson and Mars Hill projects, First Wind completed a 60 MW wind farm, with forty 1.5-MW turbines, on Rollins Mountain (45°23′14″N 68°21′49″W) and other hills in the Penobscot County towns of Lincoln, Burlington, Lee, and Winn.[32][33] The estimated cost is US$130 million.[34] First Wind was bought by SunEdison and TerraForm Power in November 2014.[15]

Record Hill Wind is a 50.6 MW wind project in Roxbury, consisting of 22 turbines arrayed along a four mile long north-south ridgeline connecting Record Hill, Flathead Mountain (44°39′40″N 70°37′41″W), and Partridge Peak. The electrical output of the project is estimated to be approximately 160 million kW·h (18 MW·yr) per year.[35]

A 34.2 MW wind project on Bull Hill (44°43′34″N 68°10′11″W) and adjoining hills in Maine Township 16 MD was built by First Wind and put online October 31, 2012. The $78.5 million project consists of 19 Vestas V100-1.8MW wind turbines.[36] First Wind was bought by SunEdison and TerraForm Power in November 2014.[15]

The Oakfield wind project at 148 MW was completed in 2015. The project is located near Oakfield (46°06′N 68°09′W) and uses 48 Vestas wind turbines.[37][38]

The Saddleback Ridge wind project is a 34.2 megawatt, 12-turbine wind project located in Carthage, Maine.(44°36′21″N 70°22′33″W) It uses GE's 2.85 MW wind turbines and was developed by Patriot Renewables.

The Passadumkeag Windpark is located on Passadumkeag Mountain near Burlington, ME (45°07′55″N 68°21′31″W). It consists of 13 Vestas V112 3.0 series wind turbines with a rated capacity of 3.3 MW.[39][40]

The Hancock Wind project is a project developed by Novatus Energy which consists of 17 Vestas V117 3.0 MW turbines.[41] The project is located in Franklin Maine (44°45′53″N 68°07′14″W). Hancock Wind currently has the tallest onshore wind turbines in the United States.[42]

The Bingham Wind Farm was developed by Novatus Energy and is located near Kingsbury Plantation, Maine (45°07′58″N 69°41′29″W) and consists of 56 Vestas V112 3.3 MW turbines.[43]

Pisgah Mountain wind farm is owned by Pisgah Mountain LLC and operates five Vestas V90-1.8 MW wind turbines in Clifton Maine (44°46′31″N 68°31′20″W). Seven local owners own 51% of Pisgah Mountain LLC and the remaining 49% is owned by SWEB Development USA a subsidiary of WEB Windenergie.[44]

The Canton Mountain Wind Project consists of eight GE 2.85 megawatt wind turbines with 103 meter rotors on 85 meter towers. It was developed by Patriot Renewables, it is located in Canton Maine (44°31′02″N 70°18′09″W), and went online in November, 2017.[45]

Led by the University of Maine, the DeepCwind Consortium's [51] mission is to establish the State of Maine as a national leader in deepwater offshore wind technology through a research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and others. The University of Maine-led consortium includes universities, nonprofits, and utilities; a wide range of industry leaders in offshore design, offshore construction, and marine structures manufacturing; firms with expertise in wind project siting, environmental analysis, environmental law, composites materials to assist in corrosion-resistant material design and selection, and energy investment; and industry organizations to assist with education and tech transfer activities.

The Ocean Energy Institute, founded by Matthew Simmons, advocated developing wind power in the Gulf of Maine.[52] Simmons and his partner, physicist George Hart, proposed an enormous, 5-gigawatt wind farm, with five 64 nmi² (220 km²) sections, each containing 200 5-MW turbines. That would generate sufficient power in winter to replace the state's consumption of home heating oil. According to Simmons, a proponent of peak oil, "If we don't do this, we're going to have to evacuate most of Maine."[53]

As proposed, the turbines would be built on floating platforms, anchored in waters 100–200 meters (330–660 ft) deep — something that has never been done in the United States. It will take several years to test the feasibility of such buoyed turbines. (The Hywind wind turbine became the world's first operating large-capacity (2.3 MW) floating wind turbine in the summer of 2009, operating in the North Sea off Norway.) Hart said, "three qualities — survivability, reliability, and performance — are what investment bankers need to see before they're going to put up the large amount of capital needed".[53]

While former governor Angus King was supportive of the idea, others challenged the project's projected cost, which could reach $25 billion.[54][55]

The Ocean Energy Institute ceased operations in 2011 after Simmons died in late 2010. The University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center received a $250,000 donation in Simmons memory to advance research in wind power.[56]

New England Aqua Ventus I is an up to 12 MW floating offshore wind pilot project that will be anchored off Monhegan Island at the UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site in Lincoln County. It will use a single 9.5 MW turbine mounted on the VolturnUS floating concrete hull. It is intended to demonstrate the potential for floating wind power on the New England coast.[46] Project participants include the Cianbro Corporation and the University of Maine.[46] In June 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law LD 994, a resolve sponsored by state Sen. David Woodsome, directing the Maine Public Utilities Commission to approve a 20-year, long-term power purchase contract. That contract was unanimously approved by the Maine PUC on November 5, 2019, and signed by Central Maine Power (CMP) on December 20, 2019. New England Aqua Ventus I is anticipated to be the first commercial-scale floating wind project in the United States.

Public opinion for a proposed wind farm on Redington Mountain

In 2005, Maine Mountain Power (MMP) filed an application with the Maine Land Use Regulation Committee (LURC) for a permit to develop a 30-turbine wind farm on Mount Redington (45°1.50′N 70°23.32′W) and neighboring Black Nubble (45°1.92′N 70°26.83′W).[58] After years of contentious debate, the proposal was voted down by the LURC in 2007. The summit of Redington was seen as too ecologically sensitive — a sub-alpine fir habitat providing a home for two rare species, the bog lemming and Bicknell's thrush. Also, the development would have been visible for miles along the Appalachian Trail (AT).[59][60][61] A revised proposal, for 18 turbines only on Black Nubble, was put forward by MMP, supported by many environmental groups,[59][62] but still opposed by Maine Audubon.[63] The project was rejected by the LURC in 2008.[64]

First Wind proposed an installation on Black Mountain (44°35′02″N 70°38′15″W) in Rumford.

The Longfellow project would have 16 turbines that could produce 40 MW of electricity, enough to power about 17,000 homes in the Northeast. The power would be sold to the New England power grid. The wind turbines would have been built on the west side of the mountain, away from the Black Mountain ski area. The developer placed the project on hold due to the strength of wind gusts in the area.[65]

In April 2012, Statoil, a Norwegian multinational oil and gas company, received state regulatory approval to build a large four-unit demonstration floating wind farm off the coast of Maine called Hywind 2.[66] Statoil proposed building a 4-tower, 12–15 MW wind farm developed by Statoil North America for placement 20 kilometres (12 mi) off the east coast of Maine in 140–158 metres (459–518 ft)-deep water of the Atlantic Ocean. Like the first Hywind installation off Norway, the proposed turbine foundation was spar buoy.[67][68] The State of Maine Public Utility Commission voted to approve the construction and fund the US$120 million project by adding approximately 75 cents/month to the average retail electricity consumer. Power would have been flowing into the grid no earlier than 2016.[68]

Statoil placed Hywind 2 on hold in July 2013 as a result of new legislation (LD 1472) by the State of Maine. The legislation required the Maine Public Utilities Commission to undertake a second round of bidding with a different set of ground rules; that led Statoil to suspend the project due to increased uncertainty and risk.[69] Statoil ultimately abandoned the Hywind 2 project in Maine and developed Hywind Scotland instead.[70]