A floating concrete hull developed by UMaine researchers for offshore wind turbines is tested near Castine in 2013. Proximity to this kind of research and technology, called VolturnUS, helps make the Gulf of Maine attractive to wind developers. Photo by University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center


By Stephen Singer, Portland Press Herald

Maine will move closer to staking a claim in offshore wind development when the federal government seeks on Tuesday to auction off eight areas for commercial wind energy leases in the Gulf of Maine.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will offer lease sites comprising 850,000 acres off Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

If fully developed, the areas have a total potential capacity of approximately 13 gigawatts that could power more than 4.5 million homes, federal officials say.

“Seeing us get to this point where commercial leases are offered to developers is a big step,” said Jack Shapiro, climate and clean energy director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “For Maine and the region as a whole, floating offshore wind is an indispensable part of clean energy resources we need to replace natural gas.”

Read the full story here

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