Proposed wind farm has deal to sell 'green' power (Maine)

[jpak]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/business/stories/060406windshort.shtml

A proposed wind farm in western Maine would sell its output as renewable "green" power to large in-state customers under an agreement announced Wednesday.

Maine Mountain Power has signed an agreement with Constellation NewEnergy, a leading retail supplier of electrical power in New England, to buy all of the output from the proposed 90-megawatt Redington Wind Farm near Sugarloaf Mountain.

Under the contract, Constellation NewEnergy would buy all of the electricity and renewable energy credits produced by the wind farm for 10 years.

Constellation NewEnergy would then sell the power to medium and large-sized business customers, giving first priority to customers in the local area. Schools and hospitals are likely customers. Customers that sign up will pay a fixed price for a decade.

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[jpak]

1. ...and Ipswich Mass. approves town owned wind turbine

Wind turbine sails through Town Meeting

http://www2.townonline.com/ipswich/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=465300

After four years of work by volunteers and several months of open discussion on the subject of renewable energy in Ipswich, voters made their decision at Town Meeting Monday to authorize the town to go ahead with the plans for a wind turbine in Ipswich.

Only eight voters cast a no vote when the article was put before Town Meeting.

Article 18 asked the town to borrow $136,000 for the design and permitting of a 1.65 megawatt wind turbine generator, which would provide an estimated 3 percent of the town’s energy.

The original article asked Town Meeting for the entire cost of the turbine, estimated at $3.8 million, but it was decided to break the project up, asking for a little at a time. Now, with the initial authorization in the bag, the town can go ahead with getting permits as well as finishing the application for a zero-percent federal loan through the new Federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds program, which is due April 27.

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[JohnWxy]

2. "Customers that sign up will pay a fixed price for a decade."

"Customers that sign up will pay a fixed price for a decade." -- THat's the sweet part. The cost of wind doesn't go up every year, like everything else.