To the Editor:
The Maine Aqua Ventus I offshore wind project is being promoted by an individual who shares my name, which has motivated me to clarify my position on this issue. I have spent most of my professional life involved in various aspects of the energy industry.
Being that I am currently a member of the Board of BP PLC, the largest producer of wind power in the U.S., I have avoided getting involved in local wind energy issues until now.
Alternative energy is a complex subject that is understood in depth by only a fraction of the world’s energy experts. (I am not one of that fraction.) Further, comparisons between various forms of energy are highly dependent on numerous external factors such as location, grid support, tax and fiscal incentives, etc. Given the limitations of a letter to the editor, I would like to make two simple points regarding wind power:
1. To be viable, almost all wind projects require government support in the form of tax incentives and/or direct grants which we all pay for, combined with subsidization from the power grid. Some of this subsidization is transparent, as in the higher cost of purchased power. Other subsidies are not transparent, such as the cost of transmission support and backup capacity for when the wind is not blowing.
2. Given the decades of development of wind technology by international heavyweights, it is hard to imagine that relative newcomers to the industry with limited resources (such as U of Maine and Maine Aqua Ventus I) can overcome the issues of the first point.
I applaud the objective of creating jobs and opportunities in Maine. However, I don’t believe jobs will be created by pursuing windmills off Monhegan Island while interfering with shrimp fishermen in New Harbor.
