Your Maine Guide to our evolving energy economy, and the funding that will fuel it.
There was a time when I got all the news I needed either at the dump, at the store, or across the bed of a pickup truck. I guess now maybe things have changed somewhat.
Peruse our compilation of news stories about Maine's evolution to a clean energy ecomony. You may also wish to view news sorted by topic categories from the community page of your choice.
Scroll to the end of this page for some energy-related RSS news feeds from other sites.
Subscribe to the "News from Maine's Energy Frontier" to receive a "moonthly" digest of articles and events from the website. You can read archived issues here.
On March 4, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Ernest Moniz, director of the Energy Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to replace Steven Chu as secretary of energy. The nomination has met with mixed reactions from environmentalists, who see Moniz as a proponent of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas and for nuclear power.
Read it all in the Huffington Post.
Photo credit: Massachussetts Institute of Technology
Thermogen, the company that is building one plant to produce torrefied wood pellets (or biocoal) in Millinocket, has signed an agreement to take over the former BASF plant in Eastport to produce the same product there, for export to the UK. The plant is expected to employ 75 directly and 300 in the woods.
Village Green Ventures of New York plans to build a bacteria-based power generation facility on 2 acres on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The plant would use bacteria to break down septic and waste material through anaerobic digestion, then capture the methane gas and use it to power heating and electrical equipment for other Brunswick Landing tenants.
Read the whole story in the Times Record from BDN Maine.
Photo credit: Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority
Two subsidiaries of Boston-based First Wind, Hancock Wind and Weaver Wind, have identified up to 57 new potential sites for wind turbines in Township 22 and Osborn in Hancock County. The companies have secured land leases for many of the sites but have done no assessments of their suitability for wind power development. No development proposals have yet been submitted to state authorities, and it is likely that only a small number will move on to that phase, according to the Bangor Daily News.
The Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine plans to place a one-eighth-scale prototype of a floating deep-sea wind turbine in the harbor off Dyce Head in Castine, sometime in April of 2013. The 20 kilowatt or 27 horsepower turbine, called "VolturnUS", was developed by professor Habib Dagher, who will build its components with engineering students. It will be shipped to Cianbro's facility in Brewer for assembly and thence towed by a tugboat from Maine Maritime Academy to the test site in Castine Harbor.
Read More in the Bangor Daily News.
The U.S. Green Building Council has given Avesta Housing of Portland the “2012 LEED for Home Outstanding Affordable Developer” award for the Oak Street Lofts project. Dana Totman, president of Avesta, said, “this award from the U.S. Green Building Council shows we’re still on the forefront of green design, and we’re proud to receive this recognition for Oak Street Lofts.”
Learn more about Oak Street Lofts here.
Photo credit: Avesta Housing
On February 5, 2013, Governor Paul LePage gave his State of the State address to the Maine Legislature. After disparaging Maine's Renewable Portfolio Standard and a recently-approved offshore wind project, the Governor pledged to fast-track permitting for natural gas infrastructure development and re-attempt to remove the 100 MW restrictions on hydropower. There was no mention of energy efficiency.
Read the full text of the speech here or watch the MPBN video here.
On Thursday, January 24, 2013, the Maine Public Utilities Commission approved Statoil's term sheet proposal to install four wind turbines 12 miles off the coast at Boothbay Harbor, in 460 feet of water. The vote was 2-1 in favor of the $120-million project.
Read more in the Portland Press Herald.
Mt. Abram Ski Area in Greenwood, Maine is the second ski area in the USA to install charging stations for electric and hybrid/electric vehicles. The two 220-volt charging centers are located close to the main lodge, rewarding guests who arrive in electric and hybrid cars.
For further information, see the announcement from Mt. Abram.
Tim Vrabel, the Deputy Director of Efficiency Maine, died at his home in Bath on January 13, 2013, surrounded by family. He was 63. Tim will be missed by all who had the good fortune to work with him.
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