Join us Oct. 16 at 10 AM on Zoom for a free digital screening of our latest short film: Aquaculture for People and Planet ! Panel discussion to follow. Register here.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
The residents of two remote Down East islands, Frenchboro and Swan’s Island, pay some of the highest electric bills in the nation, and they’ve proposed to abandon their local electric cooperative to join with the mainland customers of a large utility who enjoy cheaper distribution rates.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
Representatives from the Rockland Energy Committee joined The Chris Wolf Show on December 28, 2016 to talk about the Weatherize Rockland initiative, energy efficiency, and energy incentives for the local community.
Guests included committee representatives Larry Pritchett and the Island Institute’s Brooks Winner.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
Do you have one of those leaky homes? If so, the Rockland Energy Committee’s Weatherize Rockland initiative can help you. Weatherize Rockland is helping local residents sign up for energy assessments, air sealing, insulation, and other energy services at discounts of up to 95%. Here are five reasons to sign up, or partner with home performance agencies in your area, to save money and make your home more energy efficient year round.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
Most island communities do not have economies of scale or local fossil fuel resources, two key factors contributing to significant increases in energy costs relative to mainland peers. A case in point is two islands located off the coast of Maine—Isle au Haut and Monhegan, both of which are currently weighing their energy futures. The Energy Department and EERE are helping to address those challenges through the Energy Transition Initiative (ETI), which provides technical assistance and resources to support communities that want to achieve clean energy goals and in the transition to a clean energy economy.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Press Release.
ISLESBORO, ME—Islesboro Central School (ICS) has been awarded $2,000 for LED lighting upgrades in the first grant from the Island Institute’s Spark! Fund. The Spark! Fund supports community-based energy projects with energy-saving and educational outcomes on Maine’s year-round islands and remote coastal communities.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
On Swan’s Island and other islands, high energy costs have been a fact of life. Many places are considering how to change that, but the situation on each island is unique.
“About the only thing the islands in Maine have in common is that they’re islands,” Schwabe said.
Some, such as Swan’s Island, have connections to the mainland. Others generate all of their own electricity through a local utility and have no connection, such as Harbor Island, which guards Burnt Coat Harbor and sits in view of the Swan’s Island cooperative.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Press Release.
ROCKLAND, ME—Just as Maine homeowners prepare for another heating season, Rockland-based Island Institute is gearing up to implement “Bridging the Rural Efficiency Gap,” a two-year, $232,351 project recently funded by the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program Competitive Grant program through the Maine Governor’s Energy Office (GEO).
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
“When homeowners with rooftop solar panels generate more electricity than they need, they can sell that excess power back to the utility company.
That has made installing solar power affordable for many Mainers. But other customers are footing part of the bill for those payments, and with solar power growing in popularity, regulators are concerned that’s not fair.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
A student-led group at Islesboro Central School (ICS) is working to implement an inspiring energy project. In partnership with the Islesboro Energy Team (IET) and supported by a grant from the Island Institute’s Community Energy Action Team (CEAT) program, the students have been investigating the school’s electricity use since March 2016. As you can see in Finn’s quote above, they are motivated by concerns over the climate, a desire to find improved solutions for their school, and to reduce waste. The students calculated that the school spends an average of $3,425 each year on lighting alone.
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
Monhegan Island, Isle au Haut, and Matinicus Island face critical junctures in their energy future.Monhegan and Matinicus have the highest electricity rates in New England, and Isle au Haut is reliant on a 33-year-old, two-inch-thick cable as its sole connection to the mainland for power. t the end of March, representatives from power companies on all three islands visited Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, MA to share experiences and strategies from their work creating sustainable energy systems as part of the Island Institute’s third annual Southern New England Exchange Trip.
