Monhegan residents discussed the possible construction of one wind turbine at a special town meeting convened by the Monhegan Plantation Power District (MPPD) on May 28.
Around 90 islanders filled the Noveltoo café and heard Dr. George Hart, Jr., chief technical officer of the Ocean Energy Institute, Dr. George Baker, vice-president of Community Wind at the Island Institute, and Dr. Richard Podolsky, senior ecologist with Monhegan Wind avian studies, discuss the requirements and implications of developing wind power on Monhegan.
The meeting comes after a September 2008 straw poll vote by the Monhegan residents in favor of exploring whether the project would be environmentally, technically, economically, and financially feasible. At Monhegan’s Town Meeting in April 2009, voters approved spending half of the $56,000 to $61,000 cost to do these feasibility studies. The Island Institute (which publishes Working Waterfront) will fund the other half.
Baker explained that the island’s wind power project is in its exploratory stages and that the size and electricity output of any turbine on Monhegan is still unclear. Pending community approval and successful feasibility and permitting processes, however, a suitable turbine could be nearly 130 feet tall with 60-foot blades and generate 100 kilowatts of electricity at full capacity. It would combine with the island’s 300-kilowatt diesel power station to mitigate the sky-high prices Monhegan pays for electric energy.
The island demands a maximum of 90 kilowatts of electricity during peak hours in summer months.
No cost predictions existed at the time of the meeting, but Baker estimated an approximate figure of $500,000 for transportation, construction, and maintenance of the turbine.
However, with a diesel fuel cost of $3 per gallon, the project could save Monhegan $50,000 every year by cutting the cost to generate electricity by 40 percent.
Reporting on the progress of the project’s ongoing feasibility studies, Baker explained that after an on-site consultation with Sustainable Energy Developments Incorporated, a New York-based wind energy developer, building a wind turbine on Lighthouse Hill would be technically practicable.
“There are no huge infrastructure complications on the site,” Baker said at the meeting.
Barge and road crews could transport the turbine material and equipment successfully with a few road modifications. As for the coupling of the generator and turbine systems, minor hardware and software upgrades would be required to create a functional diesel-wind hybrid system. The turbine manufacturer would initially maintain the system while training an on-island crew.
Environmentally, the proposed turbine would have “a very modest sound impact,” Baker said.
Preliminary sound studies for the project indicated that the turbine would be 37 decibels loud at the nearest home when spinning at its fastest. The definition for a “quiet location” in Maine is 45 decibels at night and 55 decibels during the day.
The turbine’s expected shadow flicker-how its spinning blades intermittently block sunlight-would also be very small. “We do not know how large the turbine will be, [but] based on our analysis so far, we do not believe that any residences will be affected by shadow flicker,” Baker said.
Richard Podolsky summarized the project’s impact on local bird populations. Based on his surveys that began last November, Podolsky indicated that “the turbine would be OK in general for birds,” he said. Although Monhegan serves as a waypoint for migrating birds and is popular with birdwatchers, Lighthouse Hill itself hosts relatively few birds or nests. “There exists an equal risk to birds as with the existing [radio] tower,” Podolsky said.
Studies to determine the turbine’s impact on other on-site flora and fauna are ongoing.
George Hart discussed the revolutionary prospects of wind energy on Maine islands in general. With higher fossil fuel prices likely in the near future and unsteady seafood markets, capturing Maine’s abundant coastal and offshore wind resources poise the state to lead in a “fourth Industrial Revolution,” Hart argued. Cheap, locally generated and environmentally friendly electricity could not just power appliances and machinery, but potentially heat homes and power cars. “This goes beyond just a little green,” Hart said. “This is a more radical look at energy use.”
Similar to the Fox Islands wind power project, wind energy development on Monhegan must contend with the mismatch between when the wind blows and when the community demands the most power. Because Monhegan’s population is smallest during the winter, when the wind blows most strongly, the town would utilize only 50 percent of any wind energy produced during this time.
Nevertheless, Monhegan’s astronomical energy costs mean that the project could have a positive economic impact for residents even if the island were not to use this surplus electricity.
Whatever steps Monhegan takes towards greater energy independence, however, Baker stressed that island residents hold the final word in the advancement of any alternative energy project. “You’re the deciders for all the phases involved in this project,” he said.
There were relatively few negative reactions to the presentation. As opposed to questions about how much the project might save or cost the town, residents primarily asked about the prospects of Maine’s offshore wind resources and the fitness of other wind power projects around the state, especially on the Fox Islands. The presenters also fielded some questions about the viability of other energy sources, such solar, tidal and wave energy on Monhegan and the project’s expected net reduction of carbon emissions.
A handful of residents voiced their concerns with the proposed site of the turbine, as Lighthouse Hill serves as a popular recreation field as well as the landing area for emergency helicopter pick-ups.
Dan Morris, the closest summer resident to the proposed site, expressed his reservations about the project site. He said that he had a sour taste in his mouth for energy projects in general on Monhegan after the town’s previous decision to site the diesel generating plant near his house on Lighthouse Hill. That process gave him no time to voice his objections, and he had to spend his own money to hire a sound consultant. Morris also expressed a concern that he’ll be castigated for any opposition he voices about the wind project as simply a NIMBY.
Micah Conkling is participating in the Working Waterfront’s summer student reporting program and is the son of Island Institute president, Philip Conkling.