Green UMPI: not just windmill tilting

After decades of controversy and debate, world powers agree that the future of the world’s climate is more than just a problem that needs to be addressed; it’s a national and global priority.

Because that priority involves life-altering changes in the way we generate and consume energy, “green power” makes for wise business and environmental policy.

This is true, whether our concerns focus on global warming caused by fossil fuel consumption (the present source of much of our electricity), the exhaustion of petroleum and natural gas as world demand for energy increases sharply, or the political and military difficulties of relying on fossil fuel reserves from the Middle East and other politically volatile locations.

At the University of Maine at Presque Isle, we are stepping forward to cause positive change in our environment on behalf of our community.

Earlier this spring, we announced plans to install a wind turbine on campus for the generation of clean electricity. Our objectives were twofold.

First, a 40 percent increase in our electric bill in January made it imperative that we look at ways to reduce campus operating costs.

Second, we wanted to serve our educational and community roles as a public university by providing a visible example of non-polluting power generation. We have promised to share all aspects of our experience with our students, our campus, and people in Maine interested in exploring wind power options of their own.

This project aligns closely with work I have done for more than three decades. Since the late 1970s, my professional research has included the study of energy law and policy. With the wind power project, though, I am compelled to put all of that research into action. I was therefore delighted when I received an invitation to visit Denmark in late September, all expenses paid, to deliver two lectures on electricity law and wind power.

An invitation to pose as an expert on wind power in Denmark is a daunting challenge, rather like being invited to share one’s expertise in opera with Italian audiences. I went expecting to learn far more than I taught. That was indeed the case, although I believe I also shared a few key insights and helped encourage tourism from Denmark to Maine.

My first meeting was with a senior wind expert in the Danish Energy Agency. He introduced me to the modern age of wind power in Denmark. The Danes were jolted by the oil embargoes and price increases of the 1970s. They resolved to address the problems through vigorous governmental action and substantial collaboration by the private sector. Using wind power to generate electricity was high on the list of solutions. A series of governmental subsidy programs helped encourage manufacturers of wind generation equipment, sellers of electricity, and electric consumers. These subsidies also helped to create the Vestas Corp., the producer of almost 30 percent of wind turbines in the world.

Their investments have paid off. By one estimate, there is one wind turbine for every 860 Danes. A map of Denmark overlaid with red dots for every wind turbine looks like a bad case of the measles. Denmark generates around 20 percent of its electricity by wind power. That amount is expected to grow as larger capacity turbines replace smaller ones, turbine efficiency increases, and concerns about fossil fuel consumption adding to global warming drive Danish national policy.

My lectures gave me the chance to explore further wind and energy issues with leaders of the Danish energy law community and with a fascinating group of Danish graduate students who were also working professionals in business, law, engineering, industry, and government. The good questions from the engineers in our group reminded me that for all of wind power’s “green appeal” we are dealing with sophisticated, and occasionally fallible, pieces of equipment. Nonetheless, the reports on productivity and reliability of the turbines were most encouraging.

Our drives around Denmark’s three major land masses showed us a variety of wind power sources, including a few of the old style Don Quixote windmills that probably produce more tourist revenue than kilowatts. It seemed unusual to go more than 10 kilometers without encountering a new array of turbines. As common as the turbines are, however, some neighbors would rather they be located elsewhere. That is stimulating a movement toward the offshore location of wind farms, which includes projects of 150-megawatt capacities or more. We had the chance to view one such array on one of the islands in Copenhagen Harbor, where we were provided with a vista of wind turbines out on the water.

With these sights still fresh in my mind, I return from Denmark excited about the potential for wind power in Maine as well as our Presque Isle campus. I also return with a clearer understanding of the challenges and opportunities our project faces. Wind power is not without its problems. But for more than 30 years the Danes have addressed and solved many of them. And their invaluable experience makes it just a little easier to move forward with our commitment to green power and a better future for us all.

Don Zillman is president of the University of Maine at Presque Isle.