Focus on Maine, New England, United States

By Colin Houghton

Maine Wind Farm 1 300x1871 Focus on Maine, New England, United States

With four grid-scale wind projects already built in the US State of Maine, including the one in Mars Hill (photo left) and two more under construction, Maine is poised to surpass an important milestone as it moves toward its 2015 wind-power generation goal.

A cluster of wind turbines has been operating on the north side of Mars Hill Mountain in Mars Hill since 2006.

Power produced from all of the projects, was completed, along with an approved portion of another planned Oakfield wind farm in Aroostook County, will put the state past 21% of the 2,000 megawatt wind power target set by the State. The Oakfield project, is due to become New England’s largest wind farm. The state will have 200 turbines producing clean energy by year’s end. Total wind project investments in Maine approach $1 billion and construction has created or supported more than 600 jobs, according to a study the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service.

One of Maine’s major environmental groups, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, hailed the recent developments as another step toward production of “clean, renewable electricity … which is helping Maine and the region reduce dependence on fossil fuels.”

Maine’s three operating wind farms, Mars Hill, Stetson and Kibby (below), generated the equivalent amount of electricity in 2010 to meet the needs of 69,000 average Maine households in a year, the NRC said. The figure will grow further with new generation coming online.

Maine Wind Farm 2 200x3001 Focus on Maine, New England, United States

Maine is far ahead of its northern New England neighbours in wind power development, although one grid-scale project is under way in New Hampshire and two will be under construction by the end of the month in Vermont. In addition, New Hampshire has two operating wind farms and Vermont has one.

But progress has not been without opposition. The Board of Environmental Protection members voted in the last week to approve new rules that lower from 45 decibels to 42 decibels the maximum allowable noise from wind farms between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. as measured from houses and other “protected locations” within one mile of the turbines. This followed significant lobbying from certain sections of the Maine populace. Additionally, the proposed rules lay out a detailed process for collecting sound readings and compiling noise complaints, all of which were lacking in the previous noise standards that applied to wind energy facilities- over 20 years old now.

“At every level, we were not happy,” said Rufus Brown, an attorney representing the citizens whose petition forced the board to consider new rules regulating turbine noise. “But it still advances the issue and it gives us a framework for the future. It gives us more than we had before.”

As to the sound made by the turbines when operating, one resident likened it to sounding like a pair of sneakers going round in a dryer, while another said that the pulsating sound is like someone whispering “hello, hello, hello” in your ear all night long.

The petitioners had wanted the noise level to be set at 35 decibels. They argue that not only do noise vibrations from the 400 foot turbines affect the health of nearby residents, but also “shadow flicker” is also a problem.  Shadow flicker occurs under a special set of conditions when the sun passes behind the hub of a wind turbine and casts a shadow over neighbouring properties. When the blades rotate, shadows pass over the same point causing the effect. It will not happen where there is vegetation or other obstructions between the turbines and the house; if windows facing a turbine are fitted with blinds or shutters; or if the sun is not shining brightly enough to cause shadows from a turbine.

But while the wind energy industry representatives said they wanted to be good neighbours, they had argued that the proposed rules were unnecessary and could create regulatory uncertainty in an industry that has invested roughly $1 billion in Maine in recent years. Polls suggest that the push to harness the wind for electricity appears to enjoy strong support among most of Maine’s population.  The Legislature this year (2011) rejected nearly a dozen bills that could have made more stringent requirements.

If approved by the Legislature, the 42-decibel limit will not apply to the wind energy facilities already operating in Maine because they were approved under different standards.

Maine’s location in the US shown in red.1 Focus on Maine, New England, United States
Maine’s location in the US (shown in red).

X