Like moths to a flame, the press was all over the start of construction on the Block Island Wind Farm last July. After a decade-plus of starts and lawsuit-induced stops, America’s first offshore wind project was finally being built. The stories covered the prerequisite details: size of the project, cost, technology being used, and of course the politics behind it. Absent from most discussions, however, were voices from the project’s host community, Block Island.
Tag: Clean Energy
Commercial Currents: Addressing high energy costs
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
In order to save money, Maine’s island and remote coastal businesses seek energy efficiency. Potts Harbor Lobster of Harpswell gets 44% of their energy from solar panels.
What islands can teach the world about how to tackle climate change
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
Islands are often the first to feel negative effects of climate change. But we can also look to islands to find inspiration for lowering emissions on a community scale.
Support Weatherization on #GivingTuesday
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
Since the first Weatherization Week on Vinalhaven in 2012, we have held a Weatherization Week on 13 of 15 year-round Maine islands and reached more than 350 homes. This work saves Maine island homeowners $122,500 per year, reducing energy bills by about $350 per home every year. With your support we hope to raise funds to support two Weatherization Weeks and surpass 400 homes weatherized on Maine islands.
Maine’s diesel islands find a role model, 3,500 miles away
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
“I decided, after reading about the 15 Maine Islands, that we’re most similar to Matinicus,” said AlexAnna Salmon, Village Council President of Igiugig, Alaska and speaker at the Island Energy Conference. “We are not an island, but we are like an island in that you can only get there by air charter.”
To Find Energy Solutions, Maine’s Small Islands Look to Peers in Other States
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
And at the Island Institute’s annual energy conference last week, participants also heard from their counterparts from as far away as Alaska, who are generating electricity using hydrokinetic river power.
“We’ve looked at some wind power, some solar thermal and have made the most progress with hydrokinetic power,” says AlexAnna Salmon, the council president of Igiugig, Alaska, a small, remote village accessible only by air.
In Maine’s remotest island community, changing the lightbulb has far-reaching implications
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
The Island Institute runs programs to support sustainability on Maine’s 14 year-round, offshore communities. Changing out power-hungry bulbs on Monhegan and Matinicus is a first step to reduce dependence on diesel and help make island living more affordable.
The 2,326 LEDs sent this year to Monhegan are expected to save utility customers a total of $15,000 a year. The 600 bulbs now on Matinicus could cut bills by a toal of $5,000. A second shipment planned for this winter of 400 bulbs could trim another $3,000 for the island.
Block Island community, Deepwater Wind receive Island Energy Innovation Award
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Press Release.
SOUTH PORTLAND, ME—The Island Institute presented the Island Energy Innovation Award to the Block Island community and Deepwater Wind today at the organization’s sixth annual Island Energy Conference. The award recognizes their leadership in community-developer relations in the creation of America’s first offshore wind farm.
Lessons from Samsø, a year later
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
How to translate lessons from an island in Denmark back to Maine? After a year spent implementing energy efficiency efforts here on Peaks, five learnings have helped Sam Saltonstall stay focused on island energy work.
Update: Vinalhaven CEAT
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
The Vinalhaven Energy Club seeks to improve energy and resource efficiency for residents of the Fox Islands. Energy education and awareness are essential if we are to maintain affordable, warm, and well lit homes and buildings. We have helped promote energy efficient projects such as utilizing smart grid technology, encouraging use of electrical thermal storage units, weatherizing, and installing interior storm windows. Our members are Bill Alcorn, Patrick Trainor, Naill Conlan, Karol Kucinski, and Del Webster.
