Local Environmental Scene

What's Happening in the Local Environmental Scene

In June the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted a preliminary permit to the Maine Tidal Energy Company to study the feasibility of the Kennebec Tidal Energy Hydroelectric Project, proposed for a site under the river between Chops Point in Woolwich and West Chops Point in Bath. Some environmental and governmental groups are concerned about the location, because of its potential impact on wildlife and recreational use of the Kennebec River.

Sears Island is the largest undeveloped publicly-owned island on the East Coast. A recent plan brokered by several environmental groups and the Maine Department of Transportation calls for building a container port as well as an environmental education center on the island. The most controversial element of the plan is to allow developers in other parts of the state to drain wetlands in exchange for promising not to develop the wetlands that already exist on Sears Island. Proponents of the "Umbrella Mitigation Bank for Transportation" claim that it will lead to a net gain of wetlands protection compared to what would otherwise happen, while opponents stress that it will permit the destruction of wetlands throughout the state.

As the summer rush of beachgoers begins, biologists are saying the endangered piping plover is already having the worst breeding season in nearly 20 years on Maine's beaches--making it especially important for people to pay attention and respect the birds' needs. According to the Times Record, only 19 pairs of state-endangered piping plovers are currently nesting on beaches in southern and Mid-coast Maine -- including Reid State Park in Georgetown -- down from 35 pairs last year and a high of 66 in 2002.

Oil prices over the Fourth of July weekend hit a record $145 per barrel, while the US national average gasoline price reached almost $4.10. But even at $5 a gallon, the price of gasoline in the United States would be a bargain compared to Europe. In May the average price in the European Union was $8.70 per gallon.

Plans for wind farms continue in Maine. TransCanada has proposed building a 44-turbine, 132-megawatt commercial wind power project in northern Franklin County. FirstWind's Stetson Mountain 38-turbine, 57-megawatt wind farm, under construction now, will be the state's largest wind farm when it comes online. The Mars Hill 28-turbine, 42-megawatt wind farm is currently the state's largest. It has generated over 165 million kilowatt hours of electricity since beginning operations in March 2007.

Thursday, July 10 - Build Your Own Solar Mower, 7 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Join us to learn how to convert a gas mower to a solar battery charged electric power. An audacious idea to save the planet!

Friday - Sunday, July 11-13 - Maine Bike Rally, Fryeburg, Maine. This three-day event features more than 30 rides to choose from both off-road and on-road, some as short as five miles, others 100 miles long. Learn more »

Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 15 - August 7 - Organic Arts Program at Crystal Spring Farm in Brunswick. In this all-ages six-week gardening and art project, families can grow and harvest food in a community garden in the morning, then create art about organic lifestyles in the afternoon. Open to parents and children; $30 per adult and $10 per child, per day. For more information, please contact Michelle Lisi-D'Alauro at (207) 837-9580.

Thursday, July 24 - Androscoggin Source to the Sea Paddle, Brunswick to Bath, 7 am to 1 pm, with Friends of Merrymeeting Bay. Experienced paddlers only. For more information, please contact Ed Friedman, 666-3372.

Saturday, July 26 - Bird Sounds Stroll, Bowdoinham, 6 to 8 am, with Friends of Merrymeeting Bay. For more information, please contact Will Broussard, 837-9520.

News from ReVision Energy for July

On Friday, June 20 we were informed that the Maine State Solar Rebate has been suspended for the rest of the year due to the overwhelming interest in solar hot water systems by Maine residents. Simply put, the rebates have been gobbled up.

The good news is that they have been used up because this was a successful program and helped to encourage hundreds of people to venture towards alternative energy systems. The continual rise in fuel prices and the growing awareness of the environmental and geopolitical challenges of our dependence on fossil fuels is starting to make people look for steadfast alternatives. Solar energy systems are just that.

As the state rebates are running out, however, good loan programs are popping up. Financing an energy saving investment like a solar hot water or solar electric system, especially when done at below market rates, can result in a ‘payback’ in the very first year as your savings more than pay for your loan payments (not to mention the $2k you’ll get back on your taxes next year if you act soon).

Financing Options:

There are loans that may be available to help you finance an installation. One option, offered through the Maine State Housing Authority, is called the H.E.L.P. loan, or home energy loan program. This loan can be applied for up to $30,000 with a 3.9% interest rate for home improvements that increase the home’s energy efficiency, including solar hot water installations. Here is a link to H.E.L.P. loan info: http://www.mainehousing.org/PROGRAMSHelp.aspx?ProgramID=32

A home equity loan can be another way to fund your installation. In our experience, the monthly fuel savings from a solar hot water system and boiler control improvements can often exceed the monthly payments of a home equity loan, thereby making the investment ‘cash flow positive’ from the moment the solar hot water system is commissioned. We recommend that you contact your mortgage-holding bank to see what rates might be available. ReVision Energy has also been notified that Bangor Savings Bank is developing a targeted loan program to help homeowners fund home efficiency upgrades including solar hot water installations.

Like many of you, we wish the state rebate had not run out before summer even began. We encourage you to contact your elected officials and let them know that you think the rebate program is helpful to Mainers looking to offset their energy bills and that you want to see it re-instated as soon as possible. Follow the link below to find your elected officials:

http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/lookup_officials.php

At ReVision Energy we are here to help you find a system that makes sense for you. Please view our website to learn more about the installations we provide: solar hot water, solar electric systems, as well as wood or wood pellet boilers. Call us at 221-6342 to see if you have a good home for one of these systems.

Happy 4^th of July to everyone – and wishing a safe return to all the men and women in service and away from home.

Featured Products for July

Rain Barrels

Garden thirsty? Harvest the rain to water your garden and plants. Save money on water bills while helping to protect your local rivers and aquifers. Storing rain water keeps storm run off from overloading your community's storm drains. Using rain water instead of pumped well water or treated municipal water keeps salts out of your garden and keeps water in aquifers and reservoirs for other uses. In stock again after a dry spell (we sold out earlier in the year), our rain barrels are re-used food-grade plastic barrels. $85 Learn more »

Neuton Battery-Powered Lawn Mower

Don't have time to build your own battery-powered mower? Try a Neuton! America's #1 selling battery-powered mower, the Neuton is a superbly designed mower. Just squeeze the handle and off you go. No fumes and no cord. A fully charged battery lasts 45 minutes, and it's snap to swap in a spare battery if your lawn takes longer. Order direct from manufacturer Learn more »

Rechargeable Acculoop Batteries

These new nickel metal hydride batteries come fully charged and ready to use. Not only are they reusable up to 1,000 times, but the Acculoop batteries hold their charge much better than other brands. Learn more »

NatureMill Indoor / Outdoor Electric Composter

Looking for the fastest, easiest and most fool-proof method to turn kitchen waste into rich compost? Try a NatureMill Plus. We've never seen a composter work as quickly and reliably as the new NatureMills. This year's models (Plus, Pro and Pet Friendly) are a huge advance over last year's. The NatureMill Plus composts up to 120 pounds of food waste per month--and this isn't just marketing hype. It really does work. You can use it indoors or outdoors throughout the year, even in rain, sleet or snow. We hooked ours up to a Kill-a-Watt to see how much power the heater, fan and mixing bar use. At just 17 watts (about 2 kWh per week), we think the electricity consumption is well worth it to produce compost so quickly and easily. (It's certainly better to use this energy to make compost at home than to truck your garbage to the landfill.) These NatureMills are giving our worms bins a run for their money for year-round composting! Learn more »

Can O Worms

For those more inclined to compost biologically than mechanically (see NatureMills above), we offer vermiculture. Conveniently compost your kitchen scraps all year round with the help of hundreds of hungry red wigglers. Now is the perfect time to start a worm colony. By the time cold weather comes you'll have a healthy population built up and ready for winter! Plus, next spring you'll have a nice supply of worm castings, the very best fertilizer you can make. Learn more »

Worm Castings

Have you tried worm castings on your houseplants or container garden? If you have, you know what an incredible treat these are for potted plants! For maintaining plant health and vigor naturally, nothing beats worm castings. Learn more »

Clean Electricity - July's Sustainable Living Tip

Instead of gas, oil, pellets or wood, choose clean electricity for your household energy needs.

The Path to Sustainability

We believe that in terms of sustainability, "green" electricity is the best option today and in the foreseeable future for all household energy needs. Efficient products are on the market now for space and water heating, refrigeration, lighting and all other household activities; it is relatively easy for consumers to go "all electric". Of all the possible energy options (including biofuels, pellets, wood, and hydrogen), electricity has the clearest path to sustainability. Maine's electricity grid is already powered in part by clean energy sources such as rivers and wind. Many more clean options are in our future -- much sooner than many people realize.

Energy Facts

1. Electricity is a sustainable option for home heating and other household energy needs because it can be cleanly generated from many inexhaustible sources, including the sun, wind, rivers, and tides.
2. Mainers can sign up for green electricity. Paying a little extra on your monthly power bill ensures that the grid is supplied by clean and renewable energy sources, and provides capital for new clean power plants.
   
3. Solar is available throughout Maine, with little variation in solar intensity among sites.
4. Wind is available in Maine along the coast, mountain ridges, and offshore, with huge variations in energy intensity among sites and height above ground level.
5. More than one hundred large-scale hydroelectric facilities are operating in Maine, producing more than 12 million gigajoules (GJ) of electricity per year.
   
6. Since 2006, more than a dozen tidal power projects have been proposed in Maine.
   
7. One acre of Maine woods managed for sustainable harvest could yield 25 GJ (one cord) of hardwood per year.
8. The roof of an average-sized house in Maine (1,400 square feet) in full sun receives about 625 GJ of solar energy per year. This is the energy equivalent of a 25 acre wood lot.
9. Each year the average home in Maine uses about 136 GJ of energy: 22 GJ (6,000 kilowatt hours) for electricity, and 114 GJ (108 million British thermal units) for space and water heating.
10. If you have an average-sized home in full sun, every year you could meet all your home's energy needs (heat, hot water, lighting and appliances) by collecting, storing and using just 21.76% of the solar energy that reaches your roof.
11. The efficiency of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells that produce electricity are between 6% and 40%; the types most commonly available today are about 16% efficient.
12. The efficiency of photosynthesis (the natural process plants use to build wood and other tissues) is about 5%.
    
13. Maine has a net metering law which allows you to get credit for sending electricity to the grid. This means that you can install solar PV cells without needing batteries to store the electricity they produce.
    
14. Completely covering an average-sized home's roof in Maine with today's 16% efficient solar PV cells would generate about 100 GJ (27,777 kWh) of electricity every year, of which approximately 70 GJ (after balance of system efficiency losses) could be fed into the grid to "spin your meter backward."
    
15. In 2007, the Maine Solar House near Wells, Maine, fed into the grid almost 17 GJ (4,707 kWh) of electricity using 384 square feet of 13-year-old solar PV cells (enough to cover about 27% of an average sized roof).
16. Solar PV cells have no moving parts, emit no noise or pollution when generating electricity, require no fluids and little maintenance, continue to operate reliably in extreme cold and hot weather conditions, and have an expected lifetime of more than 30 years.
17. Every year, a typical home on the Maine coast (wind profile area equivalent to a 6.4 m diameter rotor), assuming an average wind speed of 4 meters per second (m/s), deflects about 41 GJ of wind energy. Assuming a higher average wind speed of 6 m/s, the same home deflects about 139 GJ of wind energy.
18. The theoretical maximum efficiency of a wind turbine is 59%, because it must allow some wind to flow through it (i.e. if a turbine attempts to use all of the wind's kinetic energy at any given moment, it stops airflow and thus loses the ability to capture energy at future moments).
    
19. A small 400 watt turbine (rotor diameter 1.17 m) at a 4 m/s wind site will generate about 0.65 GJ of energy per year. At a 6 m/s site, it will generate 2.1 GJ per year.
20. Microhydro run-of-river turbines in streams and tidal flows can be smaller than wind turbines for the same energy output because water is about 800 times denser than air.
21. No data exists for the energy production of tidal turbines in Maine. In April 2008 a 1.2 MW turbine was installed in Strangford Lough in Ireland, the world's first commercial tidal power station.

Build Your Own Solar Mower - July's Sustainable Living Talk

Notice: Due a broken link in August's newsletter, you may have been directed here by mistake. Our talk on August 14 will feature George Doughty, speaking about "Free Hot Water from the Sun." Details about August's talk are available here »

F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine St., Brunswick, will host a talk by Guy Marsden of ART*TEC titled "Build Your Own Solar Mower," on Thursday, July 10, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The talk is free and open to the public.

As featured in Popular Science Magazine, Guy Marsden will show the 22" lawn mower that he converted to operate from solar charged battery power. Marsden will demonstrate how to remove the gasoline motor from a lawn mower and replace it with an electric motor and a battery. The battery can then be charged from solar panels mounted on the roof of a garden shed.

A solar mower cuts just as well as the original gas powered unit, but is much quieter, uses free energy and emits no pollution. The battery lasts 20-30 minutes on a charge and can re-charge in 4-6 hours on a clear sunny day. Converting a gas mower to solar is featured as one of "Ten Audacious Ideas to Save the Planet" in the July 2008 issue of Popular Science Magazine.

Marsden will discuss the conversion process in detail and share sources for the parts. He will bring the mower and a second mower deck that he has refurbished that will be available for sale should anyone wish to get a start on this project.

Lawnmowers produce a significant amount of pollution as they have no pollution control equipment at all. The Electric Power Research Institute of Palo Alto claims that replacing half of the nearly 1.3 million walk-behind gas mowers used in the United States with electric mowers would eliminate the equivalent hydrocarbon emissions of 2 million cars.

This talk is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly talk is held on the second Thursday of the month at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Space is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to call the store at 729-4050 to reserve a seat.

For more information, please visit www.FWHorch.com.