Maine: The Saudi Arabia of Wind

Orono, ME- With the national energy crisis in the forefront of many citizens' minds, the state of Maine is taking initiative of using a sustainable and reliable source of power-- wind.

By harnessing energy in the high winds off the coast of Maine, the 55 million people living in Northeastern United States will be able to utilize energy equivalent to 149 nuclear power plants all the while releasing no pollutants, and using no water. This energy utilization in Maine is a big deal; in July of 2008, the average Maine family spent 25% of their income on energy compared to the 5% spent in 1998. "We can’t wait until we have $10 a gallon to start thinking about it...Five years from now these folks are going to require renewable energy because energy prices are going to go up." Habib Dagher explained in an interview with themainemag.com.

Dagher, a professor at the University of Maine in Orono, is the leader of a 140-member group who have been selected by the Department of Energy as the offshore wind energy research center for the country. The team is currently working on a floating windmill design that will successfully generate power 20 miles off shore where the wind is more strong.

"Our plan is by the end of next year to have our first floating wind turbine in the Gulf of Maine that’s going to be placed in the Monhegan Island Test Site," says Dagher. This test site is not where the offshore wind farm will be, but is a good place to put in prototypes, collect data, and take them out.

Maine citizens are largely in support of the possible off-shore wind farm. Being 20 miles off shore, it would be unseen and unheard by those on the coast, and the strategic placement of the farm would have little impact on the fishing industry. Dagher's team has considered many of the possible implications of the wind farm including its affects on wildlife, and the possible destruction from hurricanes, and they are taking these into great consideration when making decisions about this future energy source.

With a substantial demand on petrolium-based energy sources, the reality is there won't be a wind farm in the Gulf of Maine tomorrow. It is certainly worth the research and development being conducted by Dagher's team, however, as the wind farm will produce green jobs in Maine, clean energy to Northeastern states, and will greatly contribute to the national goal of 20% wind energy by 2030.