You can say one thing about oil at $70 per barrel and gas at $3 per gallon: this sort of market stimulates the development of alternatives. In Eastport, tidal power is again in the news; on Swan’s Island, Frenchboro and Deer Isle there’s talk of wind power; a major wind development in western Maine is up for consideration this month by the Land Use Regulation Commission. In recent months we’ve reported on the development of biofuels as a way to cut petroleum use.
The tidal power proposal for the Eastport area is particularly intriguing: unlike earlier plans for eastern Maine and the Annapolis Basin in the Bay of Fundy that relied on dams, gates and the timed release of huge quantities of water through turbines, this one is “run-of-the-river.” Huge underwater turbines would simply turn in the tidal current, generating power in the process.
What goes around comes around: a wind power proposal being discussed for Swan’s Island could run afoul of a town limit on tall towers, sensibly enacted back when people were concerned about the proliferation of unsightly cellular phone towers up and down the coast of Maine. The concern was well founded at the time and the tallest towers got scaled back, but it could be time to reconsider the limit in light of the interest in wind energy. At the very least, a wind project deserves to be considered on its own merits, not under rules enacted for a completely different situation.
The Mideast may be in flames and the oil markets sky-high, but at least we’re hearing the stirrings of rational energy discussion. Let’s hope it continues.