Maine Community Wind

When combustion engines and interstates replaced sails and waterborne commerce, Maine’s island settlements slowly disappeared; now only 15 year-round communities remain. 

But the winds continued to blow. Today, the Island Institute’s Maine Community Wind program is helping island and coastal communities heat their homes and light their schools with the same winds that once lifted their ancestors’ sails. 

The goal of the Maine Community Wind Program is to provide environmental, financial and technical services to island and coastal communities for model projects. We will demonstrate how wind projects in the coastal area can be sited without adverse environmental and aesthetic impacts, and provide long-term economic benefits for local residents.

 

Keys to Successful Development

 of Community Wind Projects

►Co-Locate the Costs and Benefits

 Keep project benefits in the community to offset local costs

►Size the Project to Meet Community Needs

Match the project to the scale of the community to create energy independence

►Provide Electric-Rate Relief

Structure benefits as cost-savings or reductions, not property-tax payments

►Offer Credible, Focused Technical Assistance

Demonstrate up-front how the project can be structured financially

► Complete an Environmental Impact Analysis

Minimize and clearly explain the project’s impact on the local ecosystem

►Create a Vigorous, Visible Outreach Process

Direct efforts to all community members and aim for at least a 70/30 margin of acceptance

►Phase In Project Costs

Spend frugally during the preliminary phase to reduce the community’s financial risk

►Encourage Financial Commitment by the Community

Ask for help with pre-development studies as well as voter support for the project