Reply #6: Wind turbines produce power 60-85% of the time - just not at their rated capacity

[jpak]

Their design is fundamentally different from thermal power plants and their capacity factors cannot be directly compared.

Furthermore, the 7 wind farms currently under development in Maine will be distributed around the state which will dampen variation in power production due to variable wind speeds.

Wyamn and Flagstaff Lake dams can also be used to produce power in the Kennebec basin when wind turbines produce less - as can intermittent power production from the half dozen or so idle biomass power plants in the state.

There are several bio-refineries under development in the state that will produce liquid fuel from wood - that can be used to run peaking and intermediate load power plants (and further dampen any variation in power output from wind farms).....

http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2007/01... /

Maine sites eyed for bio-oil refinery

MILLINOCKET, Maine --A developer is looking at several sites in Maine for a refinery that would turn forest products into clean-burning oil to be used as fuel in electrical plants.

Fractionation Development Center is considering Baileyville in Washington County, the Down East and Katahdin regions, Madison, Old Town, Presque Isle and Skowhegan among potential sites for a $45 million refinery, said FDC Executive Director Scott Christiansen.

The Rumford-based nonprofit firm, which promotes Maine biomass technologies, says the plant would be the first of several to eventually be built in Maine. Each would create at least 60 jobs for processing up to 900 tons of wood a day into bio-oil.

The oil helps to create electricity about as cleanly as natural gas in specially designed plants located near the refineries, Christiansen said.

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The Electric Power Research Institute has identified 10 tidal power sites on the Maine coast each with a with potential for 10 MW or more. Tidal turbines can be operational 1 year from the decision to deploy them...

Marine Current Turbines Installs Tidal Energy Turbines in Vancouver

http://www.renewableaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50523

Marine Current Turbine (MCT) and BC Tidal Energy Corporation have signed an agreement to install at least three 1.2 Megawatt (MW) SeaGen tidal energy turbines in Vancouver's Campbell River by 2009. The agreement is the first step in a plan to develop larger tidal farms off British Columbia's coast, which the company says have a tidal energy potential of up to 4,000 MW.

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so it think Maine IS ready for the day the gas runs out...