Joy Rising asks:

A friend and I are interested in making something happen for the community of Eastport with alternative energy – wind, sun, or turbines to get energy from the tides that zoom among our islands. When we look online, we are overwhelmed with all the thousands of choices of articles. Are you going to be doing any research on what are the best sources of alternative energy for Maine?

Answer from Beth Nagusky, head of Maine’s Office of Energy Independence and Security:

I would start with www.maineenergyinfo.com; it should link you to some good Web sites on alternative energy. Other sources are National Renewable Energy Labs, the U.S. Department of Energy, and then specific technologies. That being said, we need to do a better job of updating our Web site and for that I am looking for an intern.

If you want to speak to a real, live person who has good knowledge of alternative energy sources and their economics, I suggest Mike Mayhew at the State Energy Program Office. You can reach him at 287-3831, or www.michael.mayhew@maine.gov.

Rising also asks:

We are interested in what can be done for a community, not just what one can do for one’s own house. We’ve heard, for example, that in suburban Boston, a city committee is looking into putting up a large enough windmill to provide power for the high school. This would mean that they would not be dependent on the grid and could serve as a safe place in an extended ice storm when the grid goes down.

Nagusky:

I am chairing a renewable stakeholder group and we will be hearing a presentation soon on community wind from a group that has been exploring this for Maine to better understand the hurdles it faces. Once understood, we hope to address them.

Ben Lamborn of Levant asks:

How should you dispose of fireplace ash?

Gary MacCrae of the Bangor Fire Department answers:

Put it in a metal container and, to make sure it is dead, douse it with water. After it has been wetted and you are sure it is dead, it can be disposed of in the regular trash stream.