Facing Headwinds

James McCarthy

Source

Mainebiz

Date

6-24-2013

Pages

14-19

Abstract

Maine’s offshore and onshore wind power industry faces challenges both political and financial, but there are two offshore pilot programs competing for a Department of Energy grant of $46.6 million. One is the University of Maine’s VolturnUS which uses a unique floating platform technology. UMaine has pledged to have the turbines made in Maine of Maine materials. The other project is Statoil’s Hywind Maine. Statoil is an international energy company based in Norway. Their project has a price guarantee from the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The article elaborates on the key differences between the projects and discusses some of the political roadblocks the projects’ backers face in Maine. With a sidebar explaining why wind power in general has a hard time competing with other sources of energy.

Subjects

Wind power, VolturnUs, Statoil, Alternative energy

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