More Wind Energy Blows into Maine

With New England waves, scenery, and lobster comes plenty of wind, and Maine is one state benefitting from more wind power investment.  As former governor Angus King pointed out, a state lacking reliable energy sources needs to find other sources of fuel, and to that end, the US Department of Energy has announced a US$102 million loan guarantee to Record Hill Wind LLC.  The company’s 50.6 megawatt wind farm will be near Roxbury, Maine.

According to Stephanie Spanarkel of AOL Energy:

As of June 2011 the US wind industry was generating 42,432 MW of wind capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Association. The Record Hill wind project, currently under construction, will contribute 50.6 MW to the grid, bringing the country a step closer to its target of 20% wind generation by 2030.

Wind energy always has its critics (Fox News, of all sources, is hyping the death of wildlife due to wind farms), and sometimes these companies adopt obnoxious tactics many of us assume are relegated to oil companies.  But wind and other clean energy technologies will be a complement, not a replacement, for fossil fuels--and with the next fuel price spike not a question of if, but when, more projects are a necessity, not an indulgence.

Photo is of Ogunquit, Maine.