Robert Marvinney, State Geologist and Dr. Dagher or UMaine talk to Gov. Bladacci about the offshore wind tests.

Maine took another big step in becoming the first state to create offshore wind test and demonstration sites. During a press conference at the Statehouse, government officials and researches announced three sites where offshore wind prototypes will be constructed. The first of which will begin construction late in 2010.

According to Dr. Habib Dagher, director of UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, Maine could generate electrical energy from offshore wind equivalent to 149 nuclear power plants. The offshore wind potential of 100 gigawatts is three to four times the current peak demand for all of New England.

That’s a lot of energy, more than enough to power Maine homes and businesses with electrical heat and lights, as well as export it to New England and Canadian markets.

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A massive hanger on BNAS. The base has nearly two million square feet of industrial and commercial space that could be used to build wind turbines and component parts.

Instilling confidence that Maine is the right partner to work with in producing wind turbines was a clear objective of Maine’s delegation that hosted the Norwegian company’s visit. Another stop along their tour was the soon-to-be decommissioned Naval Air Station Brunswick.

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Maine has been recognized as a leader in wind-energy development. There are currently 300 megawatts operating or under construction in Maine, with another 450 megawatts of wind in various stages of development throughout the state. Already, Maine is home to 95 percent of the operating onshore wind capacity in New England.

The overall plan is to educate students in Maine in wind technologies, from the development stages, with the composite technology expertise at UMaine, to engineering the turbines. The education received could, upon graduation, translate to jobs with companies in Maine that are part of the DeepCwind Consortium.

With 15,000 jobs projected in this field, Maine is gearing its educational programs up to meet the demand for skilled workers.

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NMCC students (from left) Neil Berry and Eric Harvey take in the view at the top of the wind tower on the UMaine Presque Isle campus. As part of their safety training, all wind-power students must complete a climb test on the 225 foot tower, including standing on top of it.

The program instructs students in how to operate, maintain, and repair wind-turbine generators.

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Last fall under a 410-foot wind turbine, over 250 people gathered at Kibby Mountain to celebrate the start-up of TransCanada’s $320-million Kibby Wind Power Project.
Plans for an expansion to Kibby’s 44-windmill project, by adding 15 more turbines on nearby Sisk Mountain, were also unveiled.

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Last fall, Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, which ships natural gas through Maine to Massachusetts, tripled its capacity under its Phase IV project with a new 146-mile pipeline. The natural gas is compressed in Brewer. This $300 million Phase IV expansion project went on line in January, 2009, and has made it possible to deliver natural gas daily to markets in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Atlantic Canada.

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The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a $25.4 million grant for construction of a fiber-optic network that will expand high-speed Internet to rural communities that have little or no access.

Called the Three Ring Binder, the project involves the construction of a 1,100-mile network of high-capacity fiber-optic cable through northern, western, and Downeast Maine.

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The Maine Technology Institute has awarded $140,000 to three programs designed to increase the competitiveness of technology industries. The award winners will receive matching funds, which totaled $227,319.

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that they are awarding the state of Maine $1,136,700 for the state’s Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. Under this program, consumers can receive rebates to purchase new energy-efficient appliances.

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