Reply #5: Wind [View All]

....and, with the pending Freedom (15 MW), Black Nubble (54 MW), Kibby Mountain (132 MW) and Linekin Bay (500 MW) wind farms, that's 746 MW of wind power in development in Maine.

Note that those are max numbers -- wind farms routinely produce only 30-40 percent of their rated capacity over the year. And too, they produce only when the wind is blowing, and thus will always be a power source that's used in addition to more conventional sources that provide the base power the grid requires.

And I'm not sure Maine is ready for a 38 percent reduction in its electricity availability.

You're right, Maine can generate all its power in-state, but only if its own residents allow it. I can't wait to hear the howls when the first tidal generation projects are announced. But all of that is down the road -- five, ten, fifteen years in the future, if at all.