The Sugarloaf Community Wind Farm is a wind power project in western Maine under development by Endless Energy Corporation. The wind farm is planned to be situated between the Sugarloaf and the Saddleback Maine ski resorts on Redington Pond Range and Black Nubble Mountains. [1]
The 30 wind turbine project is estimated to have a cost of $180 million and would have a capacity of over 90 megawatts, enough to power roughly 40,000 Maine homes.
The Sugarloaf Community Wind Farm was derived from the proposed Redington Wind Farm, a previous project by Maine Mountain Power, a joint venture of Endless Energy and Edison Mission Group. In 2007 a permit for this project was denied by the Land Use Regulation Commission although their staff had recommended approval. The developer proposed an alternative project cut down to being only on Black Nubble, which was rejected by LURC a year later. [2]
Some controversy has surrounded the possibility of a wind farm on the Mount Redington area. Numerous positive environmental effects of wind power have been cited, including pollution avoided from electricity generation from fossil fuels as well as the fact that unlike electricity production from fossil fuel power plants such as coal or petroleum, wind power does not need to use water for cooling. [3] A survey by the Potholm group in 2006 showed 9:1 statewide public support for a wind farm on Redington Mountain (with a margin of error of 5%). The same survey found that 74% of dues paying members of environmental groups in the state were also in favor.[ citation needed ]
However, the boards of various Appalachian Trail affiliates have opposed the project because of its proximity to the trail. [4] Maine Audubon has also expressed concerns for the fragile environment of the mountains of western Maine. [5] The Natural Resources Council of Maine opposed the full project, but supported the reduced Black Nubble version. [6]
At a selectmen's meeting on January 5, 2009, Endless Energy spoke to Carrabassett Valley residents about the possibility of the town to annex the site of the proposed wind farm in the adjacent Redington Township. The town would benefit from the additional property taxes it would receive from the project as well as other benefits of wind farm development such as stable priced power and job creation. The wind farm would benefit from being included in Maine’s expedited wind power permitting zone, as designated by the Governor’s Wind Power Task Force which was put into state law in 2008. The selectmen unanimously voted in favor of sending a Bill into the Maine Legislature. [7]
The annexation bill (SP288)LD741 passed Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government 8-3 on May 11, 2009 with the amendment that all of Redington Township be annexed. To become law it would have required a positive vote from the Senate and House as well as a majority vote in a Carrabassett Valley referendum. For the wind farm to get permits, it would then have then applied to the Department of Environmental Protection instead of the Land Use Regulation Commission. [8] [9] On June 1, 2009, the Maine Senate voted against the annexation 29-6, and two days later the House also voted it down. [10]
Sugarloaf is a ski area and resort located on Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, western Maine. It is the second largest ski resort east of the Mississippi in terms of skiable area and snowmaking percentage (95%); its continuous vertical drop of 2,820 feet (860 m) is the second longest in New England. Sugarloaf recorded a total of 352,000 skier visits in the 2005–2006 season, ranking it second among Maine resorts and 11th in New England.
The Western Lakes and Mountains region spans most of Maine's western border with New Hampshire. A small part of the scenic White Mountain National Forest is located in this area. The region consists of Oxford County, Androscoggin County, Franklin County, as well as northern York and interior Cumberland counties. The largest cities in the region are Lewiston and Auburn. Notable towns include Bethel, Bridgton, Oxford, Rangeley, and Rumford. Many of the state's highest peaks are located in the region, although the highest, Mount Katahdin, is not.
The Cape Wind Project was a proposed offshore wind energy project on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was projected to generate 1,500 gigawatt hours of electricity a year at a first-dollar cost of $2.6 billion.
The Carrabassett River, a tributary of the Kennebec River, is located in Franklin County and Somerset County, Maine, in the United States. It rises near Sugarloaf Mountain, east of Rangeley Lake, and runs for 33.8 miles (54.4 km), flowing southeast past Kingfield and joining the Kennebec River in the town of Anson.
Sugarloaf Mountain is a ski mountain located in Carrabassett Valley, Franklin County, Maine. It is the third highest peak in the state, after Mount Katahdin's Baxter and Hamlin peaks. Sugarloaf is flanked to the south by Spaulding Mountain.
Mount Redington is a mountain located in Franklin County, Maine. Redington is flanked to the northeast by South Crocker Mountain and to the west by Black Nubble. Redington stands just northeast of the U.S. Navy Survival Escape and Evasion Training Facility (USSEAETF).
South Crocker Mountain is a mountain located in Franklin County, Maine. South Crocker Mountain is flanked to the north by Crocker Mountain, and to the southwest by Mount Redington.
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 2023, 425.2 terawatt-hours were generated by wind power, or 10.18% 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.
Maine Huts & Trails is a United States non-profit public service organization that maintains 80 miles of trails in Maine.
Black Nubble is a mountain located in Franklin County, Maine. Black Nubble is flanked to the southeast by Mount Redington. The U.S. Navy Survival Escape and Evasion Training Facility (USSEAETF) is located just south of Redington.
Stetson Mountain is a small mountain located in Washington County, Maine; a 8-mile (13 km) long ridge running roughly north–south. The summit elevation is between 1,080 ft (330 m) and 1,090 ft (330 m). Stetson is approximately 10 miles (16 km) from the Canada–United States border with New Brunswick.
Kibby Wind Power Project is a wind farm on Kibby Mountain in Franklin County, Maine, United States of America.
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.
Wind power in New Hampshire began in 1980, with the installation of the world's first wind farm at Crotched Mountain, consisting of 20 30 kW wind turbines, although it closed decades ago. As of 2020, five wind power projects are operating in the state of New Hampshire – Lempster Mountain, which opened in 2008, Granite Reliable Wind Farm, which opened in late 2011, Groton Wind, which opened in 2012, Jericho Mountain, which opened in 2015, and Antrim Wind, which opened in 2020.
Bluewater Wind is an energy company on the North Atlantic Coast, United States, and in the Great Lakes Region, United States, developing offshore wind energy projects. Bluewater's staff has experience in the wind, energy, environmental, finance, public policy, and marine sectors. Bluewater Wind was part of the Babcock & Brown family of companies. and become part of NRG Energy.
The Broad Mountain Wind Energy Center was a proposed wind farm planned for construction on the slopes of Broad Mountain in West Mahanoy and Butler townships in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The first phase of the project was blocked by legal action in the Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, though initial funding was allocated, and would have included 8 Gamesa 2MW Wind Turbines that were planned to have been operational in late 2011. Phase two of the project will include 27 additional 2MW wind turbines.
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.
Block Island Wind Farm was 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.
Wind power in Tennessee has most potential in East Tennessee along the North Carolina border. The state has not passed renewable portfolio standard legislation and there is just one utility-scale wind farm with 15 operating turbines and previously 3 test turbines. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), based in Knoxville, imports wind-generated electricity into its service area which includes Tennessee. US Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee is an outspoken critic of wind power.
The DeepCwind Consortium was a national consortium of universities, nonprofits, utilities, and industry leaders. The mission of the consortium was to establish the State of Maine as a national leader in floating offshore wind technology. Much of the consortium's work and resulting research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundations, and others.
