UMaine extends offshore wind trial, prepares bid
A University of Maine offshore wind power pilot project will extend its stay in the water through May 2014 to test its floating platform in harsher fall and winter conditions, according to the Bangor Daily News.
The university-led consortium had planned to test its one-eighth-scale project in the water for just over a month. Elizabeth Viselli, manager for offshore wind programs and spokeswoman for the university's Advanced Structures and Composites Center, told the paper the extended trial will give the consortium better data about how a full-scale turbine would perform.
The decision comes as the project prepares its bid for a power purchasing contract with the Maine Public Utilities Commission. That contract would allow the pilot project to sell its power to the grid for above-market rates to support continued development of the new technology.
The UMaine project, which was not ready to submit a plan during the initial bidding process, was given a second chance at a long-term purchasing agreement last month. A law successfully pushed by Gov. Paul LePage called for the PUC to reopen that process.
Statoil, a Norwegian company that has been working on a long-term contract for its Maine-based offshore wind pilot project, said it will delay work on its project until the fall, to review LD 1472. In January, the PUC approved a term sheet for Statoil's project, a precursor to the company securing a power purchasing agreement for the project.
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