Tribe studying wind and tidal power projects

The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point is studying two renewable energy projects -- wind and tidal -- each of which could potentially provide enough electricity to power communities in this area.

For the study of wind energy, two towers to collect data have been erected, one on the tribe's blueberry barrens in Township 19 and one in Perry. According to Stephen Crawford, the tribe's environmental director, the tribe would like to construct a wind farm at the Township 19 location, with perhaps 25 to 30 turbines producing 40 to 60 megawatts of power. One problem with the site is that it only would be able to feed into the existing 117-kilovolt transmission line. "We need a larger transmission line," says Crawford. "Transmission capacity is hurting the state."

In Perry, a tower to collect wind data was erected behind the New Friendly Restaurant off Route 1 in January. The tribal government has obtained approval from the Perry Planning Board for the temporary tower, which is on fee land owned by the tribe. In the future, a single turbine might be erected in Perry or Pleasant Point, generating about 1.5 megawatts, which could power all of Eastport, Perry and Pembroke, Crawford says. However, he points out that wind turbines only generate power 30% of the time at best, and the electricity would have to be fed into the transmission grid, so the power could end up anywhere along the grid. He notes that there is an effort under way to allow for community power projects.

The one-year feasibility study, which includes an analysis of markets, transmission and wind data, is funded through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and will be completed next winter. Distributed Generation Systems of Lakewood, Colorado, a wind energy company that has contracts with 23 tribes to develop renewable resources, is conducting the study.

Although data has not yet been downloaded from the Perry site, data from the Township 19 location indicates that it is "marginal," says Crawford. A commercial project needs an average wind speed of 14.3 miles per hour or higher. "Ours is just on the fringe of that." However, he notes that the monitoring towers are only 162 feet high, while the towers with turbines will be 300 to 400 high, and the wind speed should be greater higher in the atmosphere. "We anticipate from the wind models that the one in Perry will be viable," he says, adding that the tribal government would prefer to have the tower on the reservation, either by the ballfield or at Split Rock.

Each blade will be 150 feet and will spin at a maximum speed of 7 revolutions per minute. Crawford notes that the planning for the tower will have to address the issue of bird mortality. "It's an emotional issue," he says. According to Crawford, a wind turbine blade kills an average of 2.3 birds a year, while an average house cat that spends time outside kills a bird a week. And he says it's estimated that in the Great Plains there will be 50 to 100 billion fewer birds by 2030 because of global warming.

Tidal power project
This year the tribal government also is planning to place current monitoring instruments in Passamaquoddy Bay in waters off the reservation. "They will run about two miles along the shore, as far as Kendall's Head," says Crawford. The monitoring of current velocity is part of a one-year feasibility study for a tidal power project that would use multi-directional, underwater turbines. "It beats wind, they don't quit," he points out.

The tribal government's tidal power study is not connected with the study being coordinated by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) of Palo Alto, Calif. That study has selected the Eastport-Lubec area as the prime location for a Maine tidal power demonstration project. With funding from the BIA, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, the tribal government is working with Underwater Electric Kite of Baltimore, Md.

"We'd like a commercially viable system, one of the largest in the world," says Crawford. Depending on how much space is appropriated, Crawford says that he is hoping for a project that would be able to produce 40 megawatts of power. Noting that the turbines are less than 10 feet in diameter, he says the area that they would cover would not be that much. Although some 200 turbines might be needed to produce 40 megawatts of power, he estimates that the total space might be equivalent to two or three salmon pens.

According to Crawford, the impact on fish would be minimal. "The turbines spin so slowly that fish larvae and eggs go through without damage." The greatest challenge for tidal turbines is that the bearings don't last very long.

Crawford anticipates that the project will require at least three or four years of study.