The installation of a new $3 million cable, which will connect Vinalhaven and North Haven residents to mainland electricity, is scheduled for March. The new cable will replace the existing cable, the deterioration of which has contributed to numerous power outages for these island residents during the last few years.
“The total cost of the cable and installation will be approximately $6.8 million,” said Dave Folce, the general manager of Fox Islands Electric Cooperative. “The cost of the cable [itself] is about $3.2 million.”
Folce recently explained that, unlike the existing cable, the new cable will be buried about 6 feet deep in the seabed, which should prevent the abrasion that has destroyed the old cable while lying on top of the ocean floor.
“The [existing] cable has seen its useful life,” commented Folce several weeks ago. “A lot of it’s because of where it’s located in the bay. There’s been an abrasion problem. It’s also been damaged by some things hooking onto it.”
According to Folce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has designated the section of the Penobscot Bay where the existing cable is located as a “restricted” area.
“The rule says that no one should anchor or drag in that area because they could get caught on the cables,” stated Folce.
He added that the new 10-mile cable, which is made of multi-core cable with a copper conductor, could last indefinitely.
Despite promises that a new cable will be installed, alternative energy sources are already under investigation on the islands. Solar and wind power could supplement existing power while saving islanders money.
After submitting a proposal, Fox Islands Electric received a federal grant that is being used to install solar panels on some buildings on Vinalhaven and North Haven. An Owls Head-based company, Ascendant Energy, began working on that project last year.
Company president Chris Straka confirmed in January that panels had already been installed on the Vinalhaven Land Trust building, the Vinalhaven school and the Fox Islands Electric services building. He added that solar panels were also to be installed on the Elder Home- stead building and the Medical Center on Vinal-haven, as well as on the North Haven Community School.
Straka commented that solar energy has become popular worldwide because it is cost efficient. He noted that business owners in the U.S. who install solar panels may apply for a federal tax credit. The executive director of the Vinalhaven Land Trust, Lucy McCarthy, reported that her organization’s monthly electric bill decreased approximately 50 percent after solar panels were installed on the Land Trust building (facing south). The bill isn’t high anyway, she said, because the Land Trust doesn’t use a lot of electricity but the panels definitely made a difference. She added that the building is in a good location for island residents to see how the model system works.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said McCarthy. “I think there’s a lot of potential for it out on the islands as they’re beginning new construction.”
Folce reported that a separate federal grant covered the cost of studying wind power as a potential source of energy on the islands last year. He said that some days the wind speeds were recorded at 30-40 mph, with peak performance of wind turbines noted at 26-27 mph. He said the annual average wind speed on the islands was 14 to 16 mph. Two wind turbine units could produce enough electricity to supply both islands when the wind is blowing right, he estimated. The units could help to supplement existing power sources.
“Whatever we can produce by wind, we wouldn’t have to buy,” said Folce.
Folce puts the cost of installing one wind turbine system at $1.5 to $2 million. So unless he’s able to locate some grant funds, this project will be on hold for now. He still considers it to be a good alternative. “The wind will always be there – it’s a non-polluting source of energy.”