Fox Islands Electric Cooperative

Last updated
Fox Islands Electric Cooperative
Type Utility cooperative
Industry Wind energy
Founded1974 (1974)
Headquarters Vinalhaven, Maine, U.S.
Key people
  • L. Patrick Trainor, President
  • Amy M. Watson, CEO
Website foxislands.ne

Fox Islands Electric Cooperative is a utility cooperative based in Vinalhaven, Maine. The cooperative provides electricity for the residents of Penobscot Bay islands North Haven and Vinalhaven. Vinalhaven is home to the Fox Islands Wind Project's three 1.5 MW turbines, which provide electricity for both islands and compose the largest community wind energy facility on the East Coast of the United States. [1]

Contents

History

Vinalhaven Light & Power Company provided electricity for the islands for much of the 20th century. Power for the residents was produced through diesel generators. During a special town meeting in October 1974, the residents voted to organize a cooperative by an 80% majority. The cooperative bought Vinalhaven Light & Power from owner Herb Peterson. Grant Duell was elected president of the cooperative. Two years after the foundation, the cooperative laid a 10-mile submarine power cable with the support of a loan from the Rural Electrification Administration. The cable connected North Haven to Central Maine Power Company’s lines on the mainland in Rockport. The cable was put into use in 1977 despite protests by scallop fishermen. [2]

The undersea cable became increasingly unreliable over the decades and was replaced in May 2005. Funding for the new cable was provided through a loan and grant from the US Rural Utilities Service and provided an infrastructure whereby power could be exported back to the mainland as well as imported to the islands.

Fox Islands Wind Project

In 2001, board members and staff of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative started exploring the feasibility of wind power on the islands. The cooperative received a grant for a three-year wind energy study conducted the following year. The study was conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Renewable Energy Research Laboratory.

Initially, the project suffered from a lack of community interest. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, however, natural gas prices spiked and caused a massive increase in island electricity bills. [3] Community meetings were convened in the spring of 2008 to discuss the proposed wind project. A preliminary economic analysis was conducted for the cooperative in 2008 with the help of the non-profit Island Institute. The institute also provided half of the funding necessary to conduct an environmental study on avian impacts, a visual impact simulation, and a logistical feasibility analysis. A detailed economic analysis of the project suggested that electricity rates could be lowered by 2 to 4 cents per kilowatt hour for the first 10 years and twice that amount in the following 10 years. Fox Islands Electric Cooperative members demonstrated overwhelming support for the project, voting 383 to 5 in favor on July 28, 2008. [4] Funding for the three 1.5 MW turbines was projected to cost the cooperative $12–14 million. [5] The cooperative secured a $9.5 million loan from the Rural Utilities Service of the USDA. Fox Islands Electric Cooperative also created Fox Islands Wind LLC, a separate for-profit corporation that could take advantage of tax credits. Dr. George Baker was selected as CEO of the company, which secured a commitment from Diversified Communications of Portland, Maine to purchase the tax credits for $5 million. [6]

Construction began in the summer of 2009 and culminated that November with a dedication by Maine governor John Baldacci and Maine House Speaker and North Haven resident Hannah Pingree. The three wind turbines are expected to generate 11,605 megawatt hours of electricity per year, more power than is needed by the islands. [7] The wind project has provided lower energy costs for residents of the islands, who were paying more than twice the national average for their electricity. [1]

After receiving multiple complaints from Vinalhaven residents about the noise generated by the turbines, [8] the cooperative ran an experiment in sound reduction. [9] There is also concern that the wind turbines are a threat to bald eagles nesting in the vicinity. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Haven, Maine</span> Town in the state of Maine, United States

North Haven is a town and island in Knox County, Maine, United States, in Penobscot Bay. The town is both a year-round island community and a prominent summer colony. The population was 417 at the 2020 census. North Haven is accessible by thrice-daily state ferry service from Rockland, or by air taxi from Knox County Regional Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinalhaven, Maine</span> Town in the state of Maine, United States

Vinalhaven is a town on the larger of the two Fox Islands in Knox County, Maine, United States. Vinalhaven is also used to refer to the island itself. The population was 1,279 at the 2020 census. It is home to a thriving lobster fishery and hosts a summer colony. Since there is no bridge to the island, Vinalhaven is primarily accessible from Rockland via an approximately 75-minute state ferry ride across West Penobscot Bay, or by air taxi from Knox County Regional Airport.

The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. It is an operating unit of the USDA Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It was created in 1935 as the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), a New Deal agency promoting rural electrification.

A utility cooperative is a type of cooperative that is tasked with the delivery of a public utility such as electricity, water or telecommunications to its members. Profits are either reinvested for infrastructure or distributed to members in the form of "patronage" or "capital credits", which are dividends paid on a member's investment in the cooperative.

Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a vertically integrated electric utility in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). Nova Scotia Power Inc provides electricity to 520,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Nova Scotia.

Oglethorpe Power Corporation is a medium-sized electric utility in Georgia, United States. Formed in 1974, Oglethorpe is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by the 38 electric membership corporations that it serves. The utility's headquarters are in Tucker, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in the United States</span>

Wind power is a branch of the energy industry that has expanded quickly in the United States over the last several years. From January through December 2022, 434.8 terawatt-hours were generated by wind power, or 10.25% of electricity in the United States. The average wind turbine generates enough electricity in 46 minutes to power the average American home for one month. In 2019, wind power surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest renewable energy source in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Iowa</span> Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

Making up over 62% of the state's generated electricity in 2022, wind power is the largest source of electricity generation in Iowa. In 2020, over 34 billion kWh of electrical energy was generated by wind power. As of 2022, Iowa has over 12,200 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity with over 6,000 wind turbines, ranking second and third in the nation below Texas respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community wind energy</span> Local ratepayer-owned air current power

Community wind projects are locally owned by farmers, investors, businesses, schools, utilities, or other public or private entities who utilize wind energy to support and reduce energy costs to the local community. The key feature is that local community members have a significant, direct financial stake in the project beyond land lease payments and tax revenue. Projects may be used for on-site power or to generate wholesale power for sale, usually on a commercial-scale greater than 100 kW.

There are a number of wind power projects in the state of Maine, totaling more than 900 megawatts (MW) in capacity. In 2020 they were responsible for 24% of in-state electricity production. In 2019, Maine had more wind capacity than the other five New England states combined, at 923 MW.

New York has 2,192 MW of installed wind power capacity as of 2022. Most of New York's wind power is located in upstate New York as onshore wind farms. New York has set a goal of developing 9,000 MW of offshore installed wind power capacity by 2035 that will power an estimated 6 million homes. As of October 2022, New York has five offshore wind farms in development with approximately 4,300 MW installed capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">REC Limited</span> Indian government subsidiary

REC Limited, formerly Rural Electrification Corporation Limited, of which Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) is holding company, which in turn is under the ownership of the Ministry of Power, the Government of India. It finances and promotes power projects across India. The PSU provides loans to Central/State Sector Power Utilities in the country, State Electricity Boards, Rural Electric Cooperatives, NGOs and Private Power Developers. On 20 March 2019, PFC signed the agreement to acquire a 52.63% controlling stake in REC for 14,500 crore (US$1.8 billion). On 28 March, PFC announced that it had completed making the payment for the acquisition and intended to merge REC with itself in 2020. However, REC has maintained that merging PFC-REC is no longer an option.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Massachusetts</span> Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

The U.S. state of Massachusetts has vast wind energy resources offshore, as well as significant resources onshore. The 2016 update to the states's Clean Energy and Climate Plan had a goal of reducing 1990 baseline greenhouse gas emissions levels by 25% by 2020. Current goals include installing 3,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind power in the state by 2035. However, as of Q4 2021 the state had only 120 MW of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for generating 0.9% of in-state electricity production. The state has awarded contracts to two offshore projects, the 800 MW Vineyard Wind project and 804 MW Mayflower Wind project. Construction began on the Vineyard Wind 1 project on November 18, 2021, after a long fight for approval. Commonwealth Wind was selected for development in 2021, but the developer has attempted to cancel the project due to increased costs. There are eight projects planned for off the southern coast of Massachusetts, though some will deliver power to Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind Powering America</span>

Wind Powering America (WPA) is an initiative of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) that seeks to increase the use of wind energy throughout the United States. WPA collaborates with key state and regional stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, Native Americans, rural electric cooperatives, consumer-owned utilities, and schools to break down barriers associated with wind energy development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy in Hawaii</span> Overview of energy resources in Hawaii, US

Energy in the U.S. state of Hawaii is produced from a mixture of fossil fuel and renewable resources. Producing energy is complicated by the state's isolated location and lack of fossil fuel resources. The state relies heavily on imports of petroleum. Hawaii has the highest share of petroleum use in the United States, with about 62% of electricity coming from oil in 2017. As of 2021 renewable energy made up 34.5% on Oahu, Maui and the island of Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Block Island Wind Farm</span>

Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States, located 3.8 mi (6.1 km) from Block Island, Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean. The five-turbine, 30 MW project was developed by Deepwater Wind, now known as Ørsted US Offshore Wind.

The University of Maine (UMaine) Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site, located nearly 3 miles south west of Monhegan Island, Maine is available for use by commercial and non-commercial entities in partnership with the University of Maine, or the University of Maine itself, to research and develop ocean energy devices, such as floating wind turbines or wave energy converters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romblon Wind Farm</span> Wind power plant in the Philippines

Romblon Wind Farm is a wind farm in Romblon, Romblon, Philippines. The wind farm uses three units of 41.5-meter (136 ft) high Komaihaltec KWT300 wind turbines erected on the hills of Barangays Agnay, Bagacay and Lonos in Romblon, Romblon. The wind farm is a project of Romblon Electric Cooperative (ROMELCO) and was made possible through a funding grant from Japanese companies Komaihaltec Inc. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. The wind turbines were erected in 2018 and began operation in 2019. Under the contract between ROMELCO, Komaihaltec Inc., and Honda Motor Co. Ltd., the wind farm will be turned over to ROMELCO in 2023 after a four-year demonstration period.

References

  1. 1 2 Borst, Alan. Community Wind: Maine island community lowering energy costs with wind-power project. Archived 2010-04-07 at the Wayback Machine Rural Cooperatives. March/April 2010.
  2. Gallant, Frank K. A Good Job for Vinalhaven. Archived 2010-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Rural Electrification Magazine. October 1983.
  3. Curtis, Abigail. Islanders Celebrate Wind Power: Vinalhaven Turbines to Provide Enough Electricity for 1,500. Bangor Daily News. 30 June 2009.
  4. Conkling, Michael. Construction to start on Fox Islands wind project. The Working Waterfront. June 2009.
  5. Cernansky, Rachel. If You Don't Live Near a Renewable Energy Plant, Just Bring One to You. Discovery Communications. 24 December 2009.
  6. Kraemer, Susan. 100% Wind-Powered Island off Maine Financed Using Electricity Co-op. CleanTechnica. 17 November 2009.
  7. Two Maine islands develop community-owned wind power. [ permanent dead link ] Associated Press. 24 November 2009.
  8. Tyler, David. As electric co-op conducts sound experiment, Vinalhaven residents debate solution to turbine noise issue. The Working Waterfront. February–March 2010.
  9. Update on the Wind Project: March 6, 2010 Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Fox Island Wind Project. 6 March 2010.
  10. Steeves, Heather (11 May 2011). "National agency questions how many birds die near Vinalhaven turbines". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.

44°3′1.92″N68°50′30.1″W / 44.0505333°N 68.841694°W / 44.0505333; -68.841694