Iberdrola's Many Costly Voices

Iberdrola Renewables–a subsidiary of Iberdrola Group and the owner of CMPC–is poised to become a major player in the industrial wind energy plan for Maine.  But before Maine embraces this foreign company and the product it’s selling, there are some crucial questions which must be answered.

Wind energy is expensive in many ways—both to tax-payers and to rate-payers.  Our neighbors in North Carolina are discovering the same thing.

This excerpt is from the December 15^th edition of the Charlotte Observer:

“The developer of the largest wind farm ever proposed in North Carolina says the project has stalled because no utility wants to buy the power the project would produce.

“Iberdrola Renewables, having put more than three years into a 31-square-mile wind farm near the coast, this week began notifying property owners and public officials…that the project is on hold indefinitely. If built, the Desert Wind Energy Project… would have ranked among the largest wind farms in the country.

“… the Spanish company has been unable to find a buyer for the power output of Desert Wind.”

No purchaser for wind power?  Is this due to the price wind will cost?  Or are there other disadvantages to wind power which makes it undesirable?

In trying to protect its investments and promote its agenda, the wind lobby has been vociferous about the jobs “wind” is bringing to our state.  Thus far, experienced local construction companies like Reed & Reed and Cianbro have been contracted to build the developers’ wind facilities.  However, the November 28^th issue of Renewable Energy Magazine reported that another Iberdrola subsidiary, Iberdrola Engineering and Construction, is moving into the wind facility construction business in the United States.  Iberdrola has been awarded two construction contracts for wind developments in the region—in Groton, NH and Hoosac, MA.  That begs the question: If Iberdrola is successful in getting permits for wind facilities in Maine will they import their own crews to build them?

Another lamentable detail:  When CMP customers write checks for our monthly electric bills, we’re sending them to a processing center in New Jersey.  We’re not mailing them to Augusta as we did for decades–back when CMPC was a Maine company, instead of a Spanish one.  Why is it that Iberdrola out-sources this traditional source of employment for Mainers?

Add to that; the fact that CMP intends to lay off dozens of employees once it has completed installing smart meters across the state, and one has to ask:

Is this foreign company looking out for the best interests of Maine’s citizens?

   

Voices--and Potatoes--in Common

We here in Maine have something in common with our neighbors to the west, in Idaho.

We are both northern states.

We both have low density populations.

We both claim potatoes as a major product/export (I dare say ours might have a slight edge, but I'll not disparage those spuds 'from away'. They're quite delicious, too!).

:o)

AND-- we are both inhabited by no-nonsense folks who dare to ask questions when something doesn't seem to quite... add...up.

The photo above is another advertisement which was run this week in Idaho publications. Bear in mind... this is from Idaho Power Company! Below is the text of the ad:
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Something is missing from the conversation about energy.

For nearly a century, Idaho Power has been committed to clean energy. Today, about half the energy in our portfolio is generated from hydro, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. We are proud of our small carbon footprint and a history of responsible energy that rivals any electric utility in the nation.

How Do You Make Wind Energy Seem Less Expensive?

When special interest groups and wind developers talk about the cost of wind energy, remember that the profits go into their pockets, while the costs come from your pockets. To arrive at their numbers, developers have to resort to the fiction that their wind machines produce energy at the very same rate as more traditional sources like hydro or gas.

But we all know the wind doesn’t blow all the time. By law, electric utilities have to provide fair-priced electricity on a 24/7 basis so, for every megawatt of intermittent energy on the system, additional capacity is needed that’s ready to deploy the moment the wind stops blowing.

In the simplest of terms, special interest groups and wind developers are asking you to pay more for a less reliable product. And that just isn’t right.

Sensible. Dependable. Responsible. It’s the right thing.
getpluggedin.com
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Just imagine what it would be like if Central Maine Power Company or Bangor Hydro were raising these same issues. Imagine if they were demanding common sense answers!

Write to your electric company today. Write to your Legislators today.

It's time to put a stop to this foolishness.

Wind. It's expensive. It's unreliable. It's intermittent. It's not 'green'. It causes health problems when sited too close to dwellings. It causes loss of value to real estate within 2 miles. It kills raptors, migratory birds, and bats. It's not able to be stored. And don't forget: it's expensive, unreliable, intermittent and unable to be stored.

Grid-scale wind energy is a fool's plan. Let's take a cue from our friends in Idaho. Let's not be taken for fools.