Saturday, November 28

energy



The Fox Islands Wind Project is a community-based wind development that will provide residents of North Haven and Vinalhaven Islands (Maine) with clean, renewable energy from three 1.5-megawatt turbines.  The turbines are nearly 400 feet tall and the project is the largest community-based wind project on the East Coast. As a matter of fact, it will make these two sistering islands virtually energy independent. It is the first project on the East Coast of the US who made it possible for 1300 or so islanders to use wind instead of fossil fuels. 
I do not have the statistics in front of me, but they do exist, and the savings of spitting out Carbon monoxide and such is enormous. It is something in the vicinity of burning 10'000'000 gallons of gasoline ... or more, the equivalent of thousands of acres of cut trees (and their emissions) and so on. 
So I am happy, even though my friend Ethan moans and groans about the "noise" from the propellers, he is just an oversensitive kid, not knowing priorities in life yet.

OK, there is always the question of demand, usage and storage of energy. So the cable to the mainland was not "cut". Excess electricity will be fed back to the grid. I sometimes wonder about this, how it will work out in the future when more and more solar and wind energy "farms" sprout up, either on private ground and or sponsored by commercial interests. Someone has to maintain "the grid", someone has to pay for the maintenance of it, the sole logical storage and sharing of electric energy. 
In the mean time I am very proud that finally an island in the US, and it is my island, became quasi energy independent.
I hope many more islands will follow suit. Fossil fuels will run out at some point, still in my lifetime, that I know. It is better to invest into a future of zero fossil fuels now than talking the avenue of waiting forever until some kind of blasé miracle will (not) happen.


usually pictures posted here are mine, sometimes I cheat and post modified copies of others (2% or less maybe?) anyhow, to see the full sized images, click on the pic...

 

10 comments:

The Rambling Taoist said...

That really sounds cool!! In my conservative area (SW Washington coast), a wind farm has been proposed, but a lot of short-sighted people are opposing it. We'll have to wait and see if the county commissioners approve it.

ANNA-LYS said...

Congrats!!!!

Cym said...

That's really wonderful, would definitely like to see more of this cropping up around the country. Still would be nice to figure how to make them run more quietly, for us sensitive people, who prefer hearing the sounds of birds to machines. But still I'd take this over living next to a busy six lane highway, or coal or nuclear power plant any day!

Zee said...

I cross my fingers for you that the stubbornness will cease, Rambling Taoist.

Zee said...

Anna Lys,
jeg har opdaget den casetten med den Svenska musikken igjen, laget en copie pa CD,,,
Det aer Goeran Frisorp som sjuger Nils Ferlin
Kjempe cool!

Zee said...

In your neck of the woods, Cym - solar would be the way to go. No noise whatsoever.

ANNA-LYS said...

Zee, då skulle du höra när Rolf (Roffe) Wikström sjunga Nils Ferlins dikter, säger bara WOW

http://www.roffewikstrom.nu/biografi.html

gfid said...

YES!!! this would SO work in northern alberta.... we get a lot of wind. but we don't call ourselves 'Oilberta' for nothing.... its' a steep uphill slog getting anyone to listen to anything but the petroleum gods.

lindsaylobe said...

Hi Zee

The idea of a community-based wind power development to provide local residents with clean, renewable energy to supplant the need of fossil fuels is very exciting and encouraging.
Just as your friend groans about the "noise" from the propellers, folk here in Victoria take out petitions over their close proximity.

What you need is a central regulator or arbitrator who maintains "the grid", allocates load factors, maintenance and so forth - that is essential.
An uplifting post

Seraphine said...

i love the idea of harnessing the wind and sun for energy. little by little, these "original" sources of energy will replace fossil fuels, but unfortunately it will take decades to complete.
the noise would probably bother me too. but it is still better than living in the city, where horn honking, sirens and people yelling at each other are seemly normal.