February 11, 2011 - Northern Maine Community College to host clean energy forum

Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle has been selected by a national nonprofit organization to host a clean energy forum on March 9, 2011.  Since 2008, NMCC has offered an associate-degree level program to train wind power technicians, the first such program in New England.  Last year, NMCC decided to install a meteorological tower on campus to measure wind potential.  NMCC's interest in wind energy continues to grow; last month, the college’s renewable energy programs got a big boost in the form of a $1.2 million gift from donor Mary Smith; the college will use those funds to establish the Northern Maine Center for Excellence in Alternative Energy Training and Education.

Focus the Nation, a nonprofit whose mission statement focuses on “accelerat[ing] our transformation to a clean energy future by fostering connections between generations, and empowering young people through education, civic engagement, and action”, is sponsoring 22 events this winter across the country.  The organization selected NMCC to host the only one of these forums to be held in the Northeast.  The “Maine Event” will be held in the Edmunds Conference Center on the Presque Isle campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 9.

Former Maine Gov. Angus King will deliver the keynote address, sharing his perspective as a wind energy developer as well as insights from his political service.  U.S. Sen. Susan Collins will also speak to participants through a videotaped message.  The event will feature presentations by leaders in Maine’s alternative energy industry, as well as an interactive panel discussion on policies, technologies, and challenges for renewable power.

Northern Maine is home to significant interest in clean energy technologies, including wind.  NMCC’s event is well-positioned to continue solidifying the college’s leading role in education and training for renewable power.

October 12, 2010 - New England sets record energy use; wind

What do you think sits at the end of this rainbow, seen Friday over the New Meadows River?

New England's regional electric grid operator ISO-NE has announced that the region has set several new records for energy consumption. In July 2010, consumers used 13,385 gigawatt-hours. That just barely beat the previous single-month energy usage of 13,365 GWh, which occurred in July 2006. To explain this high energy usage despite the economic downturn ISO-NE points to the weather: July 2010 was the second-hottest July in New England since 1960. New England also set new heights for peak demand (capacity measured in gigawatts, not energy measured in gigawatt-hours) in May and September 2010.

In wind news: this weekend, while Highland Wind LLC held an open house to promote its wind project in Highland Plantation in Somerset County, Maine, the Friends of the Highland Mountains and other protesters demonstrated their opposition. As originally conceived, the Highland project - backed by former independent Maine Governor Angus King - would entail 48 turbines along the ridgelines of Stewart, Witham and Bald Mountains, plus Briggs and Burnt Hills. The land in question is owned by Bayroot LLC, and has been managed by Wagner Forest Management. Among the protesters' complaints is the proximity of the project to the Bigelow Mountains and the Appalachian Trail.


Google has already made the news for its involvement in energy markets. Now Google is investing in the underwater transmission lines needed to transmit power from offshore wind turbines to the mainland. Specifically, Google is eyeing a 350-mile line from Virginia to New Jersey.