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Four experts on wind energy argued for wind power to play a role in reducing Maine’s reliance on fossil fuels and diversifying its energy portfolio during a public forum held at the University of Maine Wells Conference Center on Wednesday.
The event was sponsored by E2 TECH, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the clean technology sector in Maine.
The speakers — all proponents of wind power —sought to convince the public that wind energy can benefit the state.
Two economists, an environmentalist and a representative of the Central Maine Power Company gave presentations regarding jobs, environmental impacts, subsidies, and whether the power grid in New England can support and deliver the electricity produced by both offshore and onshore wind turbines.
To be sure, the wind forum and public events like it have become necessary in recent years as the number of wind farms, wind-related development projects and legislation has increased significantly in the state during the last decade.
In all, there are 11 onshore wind power farms across Maine, and more projects are in the works, including a proposal to install a network of 1,000 floating offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine by 2030.
Whether the projects, often funded through a combination of private investments and federal and state subsidies, are worth the expense has been a bone of contention among the public. Wind-power sites across Maine have incited civic activism, strong opposition and even litigation against the industry.
But for most of its history, Maine has struggled to find a way to wean itself off an overwhelming dependence on fossil fuels, primarily foreign oil, according to Charles Colgan, an economist at the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine.
“Wind has become a relative success in dealing with such problems,” Colgan said. “Wind energy is part of a long and complex energy industry in Maine, and it’s really the latest part of the story.”
Colgan explained the dynamics of constructing wind-power resources in the state, and by all accounts, he drew the conclusion that, in one way or another, the wind industry has created and sustained a number of jobs in the state.
He said the three markets in Maine that have benefited the most from wind-related projects are the construction industry, the technology and services sector, and the food and lodging sector.
At the height of onshore wind-power projects in 2008 and 2009, Colgan estimated 500 jobs were created in Maine’s construction industry, which he considered a big boost to the state’s economy — especially considering Maine lost nearly 8,000 construction-related jobs over the same years due to recession.
Additionally, he said 300 businesses across the state made contributions to various wind- power projects in 2008 and 2009.
“There will be a much more electric-intensive economy in the future, and this is the role we need to envision for wind power,” Colgan said.
UMaine economics professor Gary Hunt was on hand to explain the subsidies given to the wind industry. He said because the industry is relatively young, “it cannot compete with mature industries and therefore requires subsidies.”
In an attempt to bolster wind power’s development and capacity to compete in Maine, former Gov. John Baldacci set a goal to install 2,000 megawatts of wind power in Maine by 2015 and to install 3,000 megawatts by 2020.
It takes 2.4 gigawatts to power Maine, and 1 gigawatt is equal to 1000 megawatts.
In order for relatively new technology like wind turbines to produce such large amounts of electricity it takes a great deal of research and development as well as trial and error to perfect the power source, according to Hunt.
“These subsidies,” Hunt said, “are worth it considering that the hidden costs of fossil fuels have not yet come into the marketplace.”
Based on this, Hunt explained that even though cost per-watt of electricity generated by coal and natural gas is on average 10 to 15 cents less than wind power, the power produced by fossil fuels has a steeper cost insofar as it produces negative effects on consumer health and the environment.
“Once you add in the hidden costs of fossil fuels then wind generated electricity becomes very competitive,” Hunt said.
He added that the cost of wind power will decrease in the future as it is further developed.
The speakers also agreed on wind power’s ability to generate revenue for the state, given that Maine is considered one of the windiest states in the nation.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Maine has vast wind resources in its western mountains and nearly 133 gigawatt’s worth of electricity in the winds blowing off the coast. The speakers said that if the resources are properly developed the excess electricity could be sold to other states in New England.
However, the state faces an uphill battle in building consensus for the energy resource. Most of the components used to construct the turbines are manufactured out of state, and renewable energy accounted for only 8 percent of the electricity consumed in the United States last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Furthermore, ISO-New England, the entity in charge of overseeing and operating the electric grid in New England, has said it is already producing a surplus of electricity.
On the other hand, investments in the renewable energy industry grew by leaps and bounds in 2010, according to a report released in July by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Bloomberg reported that at the end of 2010, renewable energy investments equaled $211 billion worldwide. The lion’s share of those investments came from China with $94.7 billion in renewable energy investments, primarily in wind power.
In the United States, the reduced cost of natural gas caused a substantial decline in renewable energy investments, leaving it behind developing countries in terms of energy investments for the first time in its history.
In Maine, the LePage administration has expressed a similar interest in natural gas and introduced legislation in June to end requirements that power companies derive 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2017.
“Wind power is the best environmental, economic and moral energy choice we can make going forward,” said speaker Colin High of the Vermont-based consulting firm Resource Systems Group. “I stand before you emphasizing just how we need to speed this technology up because we cannot wait until 2045 to get it off the ground.
“We just don’t have that kind of time.”
