Presenter Information

Jeanne Barthold, Colby CollegeFollow

Location

Parker-Reed, SSWAC

Start Date

30-4-2015 2:00 PM

End Date

30-4-2015 3:55 PM

Project Type

Poster

Description

Renewable power has emerged in the last decade as a viable alternative for our societies' fossil fuel dependence. The Maine Wind Energy Act of 2009 made lofty goals for the amount of wind power that Maine wanted to produce by the year 2020. The many sides of the debate on Maine windmills that have arisen in the past six years create a picture that is extremely complicated. There is clearly not one solution to the problems that came with the rapid construction of windmills since the passing of the Maine Wind Energy Act. The rural communities most directly affected by the wind farms I studied are benefiting immensely from an economic standpoint. However, individuals in all of the communities feel that their quality of life has tremendously decreased at a cost that is absolutely not worth it. I interviewed several Maine citizens that complain of problems with noise, deception and lies from the companies commissioning the wind farms, the desire for speedy implementation resulting in a complete lack of policy, and the harm to Maine's wildlife and scenery. Many individuals feel that while they are advocates of wind power, the changes have not been worth it because the power and energy output has not been what companies claimed. My project aimed to explore the different sides of the issues by talking to both community members living near the wind farms and representatives from the commissioning companies. At the end of my research, I found that the issues that arise all have common threads that can be minimized with more detailed legislation that slows down the permitting process to give communities and companies a chance to work together.

Faculty Sponsor

Jim Fleming

Sponsoring Department

Colby College. Science, Technology and Society Program

CLAS Field of Study

Interdisciplinary Studies

Event Website

http://www.colby.edu/clas

ID

1083

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Apr 30th, 2:00 PM Apr 30th, 3:55 PM

Sociological Impacts of Wind Farms in Maine

Parker-Reed, SSWAC

Renewable power has emerged in the last decade as a viable alternative for our societies' fossil fuel dependence. The Maine Wind Energy Act of 2009 made lofty goals for the amount of wind power that Maine wanted to produce by the year 2020. The many sides of the debate on Maine windmills that have arisen in the past six years create a picture that is extremely complicated. There is clearly not one solution to the problems that came with the rapid construction of windmills since the passing of the Maine Wind Energy Act. The rural communities most directly affected by the wind farms I studied are benefiting immensely from an economic standpoint. However, individuals in all of the communities feel that their quality of life has tremendously decreased at a cost that is absolutely not worth it. I interviewed several Maine citizens that complain of problems with noise, deception and lies from the companies commissioning the wind farms, the desire for speedy implementation resulting in a complete lack of policy, and the harm to Maine's wildlife and scenery. Many individuals feel that while they are advocates of wind power, the changes have not been worth it because the power and energy output has not been what companies claimed. My project aimed to explore the different sides of the issues by talking to both community members living near the wind farms and representatives from the commissioning companies. At the end of my research, I found that the issues that arise all have common threads that can be minimized with more detailed legislation that slows down the permitting process to give communities and companies a chance to work together.

https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/185