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Poll results

A planned 30-turbine wind farm in Washington County could add (renewable) fuel to a fire that has long simmered in Maine.

The $270 million, 126-megawatt development is expected to break ground late next year in the town of Columbia and several unorganized areas. The state already has 17 wind facilities online, generating over 900 megawatts of "clean" power, Mainebiz reported in 2018.

But onshore wind facilities have drawn criticism that they detract from Maine's natural beauty, threaten the tourism industry and endanger wildlife. The developer of the Downeast Wind project in Washington County, Apex Clean Energy, says it's trying to mitigate those risks.

Is development of wind farms like the Downeast Wind facility a good thing for Maine?
Yes (41%, 88 VOTES)
No (59%, 128 VOTES)
Poll Description

A planned 30-turbine wind farm in Washington County could add (renewable) fuel to a fire that has long simmered in Maine.

The $270 million, 126-megawatt development is expected to break ground late next year in the town of Columbia and several unorganized areas. The state already has 17 wind facilities online, generating over 900 megawatts of "clean" power, Mainebiz reported in 2018.

But onshore wind facilities have drawn criticism that they detract from Maine's natural beauty, threaten the tourism industry and endanger wildlife. The developer of the Downeast Wind project in Washington County, Apex Clean Energy, says it's trying to mitigate those risks.

  • 216 Votes
  • 15 Comments
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15 Comments

  • January 22, 2020

    Wind turbine projects in VT have caused extensive devastation to ridge-line eco-systems and wildlife; bird, bat and bear populations especially. They've created strife and division between towns, as some receive tax benefits to offset the damage while others suffer the damage and receive nothing. Many Vermonters initially welcomed turbines as renewable energy, only to suffer debilitating physical effects - wind turbine syndrome - if they lived in close proximity.
    Like Maine, tourism is a major source of revenue in Vermont and it was shortsighted to allow foreign multi-nationals like the former Spanish Iberdrolla, to wreck Vermonts principle asset for small gain.
    In one instance, Green Mountain Power built a divisive project in Lowell, VT, and then discovered there was a surfeit of energy and no way to transport the surplus without installing a $10 million synchronous conductor, at tax payers expense.
    I recommend the documentary "Windfall" to get a true picture of the destruction wrought by turbines. Untouched wilderness, mountains and forest work more effectively as natural carbon neutralizers.

  • January 22, 2020

    The electricity from these behemoths is not enough to pay for them unless it is several times the rate we currently pay. They harm the environment far more than they save because they take more energy to build than they will ever produce. To build a turbine it takes many yards of cement which is very dependent on fossil fuel. It takes thousands of gallons of diesel fuel for the equipment to excavate and carry all the parts to the site by great big trucks, cranes and equipment. Roads have to be built to link them all together. They are built of steel and fiberglass both of which need a lot of oil and coal to be used to make. The steel towers to run all the power lines are made using coke, a coal derivative as well as all the copper that has to be made for wires and lots of energy. They are filled with hundreds of gallons of oil to lubricate the machinery that runs the turbine . . . and it is often times changed regularly and causes spills and fires. There is currently no way to recycle the blades (made of fiberglass like material) and they are filling up landfills when they have to be changed. When they have finally seen their service come to an end, they cost almost as much to remove as they do to put up, and usually no provisions have been made to pay for that so those that live around them end up footing the bill.

    Ecologically they are responsible for killing thousands of birds including Eagles and other raptors, songbirds that migrate along flyways following highlands where turbines are, and bats which are very valuable for their ability to eat thousands of mosquitoes each. There are also many trees that must be removed, trees that sequester CO2 and turn it into oxygen.

    In spite of what they tell you, property values will decline. If you can see them or hear them it will go down. The lights that flash all night will destroy your peace of place if you live nearby and will disrupt your nighttime enjoyment of the lake as you will see the reflections all night. The excavations will cause any brooks and streams to be disrupted and will cause silt runoff to the lake.

    How can anyone say these are solutions that will eventually help our planet?

  • January 22, 2020

    Fossil fuels and the pollutants they cause are such a great risk to all life on this planet. The evidence continues to be overwhelming (but first you have to be open to learning about it). Wind energy is clean energy but it is but one solution of many that are needed. Uninformed people use birds/bat deaths as a rally cry against. Study after study has concluded that the bird deaths (2-3 per turbine) are biologically insignificant. The Audubon Society (bird people) supports wind energy because climate change is a much greater threat. Yes, wind turbines need to be sited properly. When the town works with the developer that is achieved. Maine is blessed with a great wind resource, lets use it to our collective benefit. As a native Mainer and 8th generation New Englander, energy independence (from utilities that are owned by out of state) and taking care of our land are part of who we are. No, there is no perfect single solution but we've got to start making more progress towards more clean energy solutions. Wind energy works great and its clean.

  • January 22, 2020

    Wind energy is inconsistent and uncontrollable and rarely matches fluctuating electrical demand. Even if you build out wind power nameplate capacity hundreds of times more than the peak electrical loads of a region, when the wind is zero, the output electricity from all wind turbines are zero. You always need a backup power source and the more wind turbines added to the grid, the more the backup generation will cost so that such essential plants remain economically viable This cost on top of the cost of wind power erodes the economical viability of every household and consequently` human living conditions.. This modern world would never exist without fossil fuels and wind mills will never be a replacement that allows the marvels of the modern world to flourish. . Long live fossil fuels. 

  • January 22, 2020

    Maine needs to stop. The state cannot afford to further harm its calling card, its signature Quality of Place. The cumulative impact of those 400 skyscrapers far exceeds the negligible benefits. There are better choices. For perspective, it would require almost 100 wind "farms" like the existing 27-turbine project at Mars Hill just to (theoretically at best) deliver the amount of electricity that one surprisingly controversial Canadian power line would deliver.