BOSTON — Maine spends $6.3 billion a year on energy, with $5 billion leaving the state to pay for fossil fuels from other parts of the world. Meanwhile, Maine residents struggle to heat their homes every winter, especially when oil and natural gas prices are high.

Moving away from these fuels and developing clean resources that are available locally would not only allow Mainers to feel more secure in terms of their energy supplies, but would also enable the state to create jobs and exports, growing the state’s economy.

To address these critical issues, a gubernatorial forum was held Sept. 12 in Portland where all three candidates were invited to share their energy plans and their vision for how to help Mainers manage their heating costs while being considerate of the environment.

After last year’s harsh winter and volatile energy prices, it is clear that our next governor will face an immediate challenge of finding solutions to ease the short-term heating burden for all Mainers. In the long term, the state must also find more environmentally friendly and cost-effective heating and electricity solutions.

The good news is that Maine has the luxury of abundant homegrown renewable resources (wind, biomass, hydro, solar and energy efficiency) available to help meet these challenges. As a matter of fact, Maine already leads the region in clean energy deployment, with more than half of the state’s electricity generation coming from renewable energy resources, including 25 percent from hydro, 21 percent from wood and 4.5 percent from wind. Research shows that capturing these indigenous energy resources will put Maine in a strong position to reduce the state’s energy prices and avoid the detrimental environmental effects of fossil fuels.

For example, according to EnergyFactCheck.org, the average installed cost of solar systems declined 60 percent in the U.S. from 2011 to 2013 and the cost of photovoltaic solar panels has fallen 75 percent since 2008.

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Wind power from projects such as those in northern Maine have also become competitive with other sources of generation, with the cost declining 50 percent as the industry has matured over the past half-dozen years. Analysts predict that by 2017, the cost of electricity produced from new onshore wind farms will be lower than the cost of power from new advanced or conventional coal plants.

Among the most prominent natural energy resources that Maine has to offer are biomass and wind power. With 90 percent of Maine covered with forest, the state is already a leading producer of biomass and is paving the way in the research, development and commercialization of new clean-energy technologies.

With strong in-state wind sources and vast and expansive coastlines, Maine has a huge opportunity to continue to invest in offshore and onshore wind. We hope the next governor embraces the state’s ambitious goals of 3,000 megawatts of onshore wind by 2020 and 5,000 more megawatts of offshore wind by 2030.

In addition, by embracing policies that will continue to support its growth, Maine’s clean energy and clean technology industry is poised to make even more significant contributions to the state’s economy. As the Portland Press Herald illustrated in a Sept. 2 article (“State report: Alternative energy a top bet for job growth”), the answer to both Maine’s short- and long-term energy challenges might be close at hand, in the form of the state’s emerging alternative energy cluster.

According to the report by the Maine Technology Institute, Maine’s clean energy sector expanded by nearly 12 percent from 2007 to 2012, one of the fastest-growing sectors in the state. A separate E2Tech study found that Maine’s clean technology sector has an annual statewide economic impact of an estimated $2.3 billion in output, 20,401 full- and part-time jobs and $689 million in labor income.

Maine is at a tipping point when it comes to clean energy. The policies set by the next governor and state leadership over the next four years are critical to securing the state’s path to a future where clean, renewable energy provides Mainers more reliable, cheaper and cleaner energy choices, and where Maine continues to grow its economy with clean energy exports across the region. By embracing and expanding the state’s clean energy policies to support the sector’s continued growth, the next governor will be helping to chart a cleaner and more prosperous future for the people of Maine.

— Special to the Press Herald


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