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46-532: The University of Maine (UMaine) Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site , located nearly 3 miles south west of Monhegan Island , Maine is available for use by commercial and non-commercial entities in partnership with the University of Maine , or the University of Maine itself, to research and develop ocean energy devices, such as floating wind turbines or wave energy converters. The University of Maine asserts that

92-510: A Power Purchase Agreement , Maine Aqua Ventus has an obligation to provide local benefit to Monhegan through a subsea cable interconnection with Central Maine Power or an alternative negotiated benefit. As of November 1, 2016, the Monhegan Energy Task Force contracted with law firm Eaton Peabody to negotiate the community benefits agreement with Maine Aqua Ventus. The test site and proposed project has created ongoing discussion on

138-566: A 1:8 scale VolturnUS in 2013. Efforts are now underway by Maine Aqua Ventus 1, GP, LLC, to deploy to full-scale VolturnUS structures off the coast of Monhegan Island, Maine, in the UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site . This demonstration project, known as New England Aqua Ventus I, is planned to deploy two 6 MW wind turbines by 2020. The University of Maine announced in September 2017 that its VolturnUS design became

184-686: A University of Maine-published report, entitled: "Maine Offshore Wind Report." The report was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and others. Hourly buoy data near the UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site is available viewing and download from the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) buoy E01 . Available real-time weather and ocean data includes winds, waves, visibility, air temperature, and water temperature at

230-446: A conical stone lighthouse was built on the island by order of Congress and President James Monroe . Damaged by storms, it was replaced in 1850 by the present 48 foot (14.6 m) granite tower, with a fog bell station built in 1855 on nearby Manana Island. The island's 1,000 acres (400 ha) of good land encouraged agriculture , with potatoes the chief crop. But fishing was always the most important industry, whether locally or at

276-491: A fishing and trade center, Monhegan would be caught in the conflict between New England and New France for control of the region. During King Philip's War (1675-1678), dispossessed English settlers from the mainland sought refuge on the island before being relocated elsewhere along the coast. During King William's War (1688-1697), the island was captured for the Kingdom of France in 1689 by Baron de Saint-Castin . He destroyed

322-450: A household in the plantation was $ 26,250, and the median income for a family was $ 53,125. Males had a median income of $ 36,563 versus $ 13,333 for females. The per capita income for the plantation was $ 20,568. There were 10.5% of families and 3.8% of the population living below the poverty line , including 10.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64. Summer months bring artists and tourists on several daily ferries. Visitors arrive at

368-539: A mile (1.2 kilometers) wide, located in the Gulf of Maine , part of the Atlantic Ocean . Adjacent Manana Island helps form Monhegan Harbor. As of the census of 2000, there were 75 people, 46 households, and 21 families residing in the plantation. The population density was 87.5 inhabitants per square mile (33.8/km ). There were 177 housing units at an average density of 206.4 per square mile (79.7/km ). The racial makeup of

414-491: A planned 20-year duration, as indicated in the project's Power Purchase Agreement draft term sheet with the Maine Public Utilities Commission. Project participants include Emera, Inc. , Cianbro Corporation, DCNS , and the University of Maine. Deployment and commercial operation of the two units is currently planned for 2019. Monhegan Island is located 12 nautical miles off the mainland. The population

460-613: A public outreach process led by the Maine State Planning Office in cooperation with the Maine State Planning Office, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Marine Resources, and the University of Maine. In December 2009, the Maine Department of Conservation designated the location off of Monhegan Island based on its distance from the mainland shore and greater water depths. In September 2009,

506-529: A special town meeting to see if the plantation to pursue development of a community benefits agreement with Maine Aqua Ventus. This vote passed with 31 to 1 registered voters in favor. A group called "Protect Monhegan," formed in November 2016, led by Monhegan resident Travis Dow, to express opposition to the Maine Aqua Ventus project. On February 8, 2017, Maine State Senator Dana Dow (R-Damariscotta) issued

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552-556: A statement suggesting he would introduce a bill on behalf of "Protect Monhegan," to prohibit a wind energy test area within 10 miles of Monhegan Island's lobster conservation area. Formal bill language was not issued with the Senator's statement, made through the State's Republican party website. On February 7, 2017, during a briefing of the State's joint legislative committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology (EUT Committee), Dr. Habib Dagher of

598-506: Is 65 feet (20 meters) tall - that is 1:8 the scale of a 6-megawatt (MW), 450 feet (140 meters) rotor diameter design. The VolturnUS design utilizes a concrete semi-submersible floating hull and a composite materials tower designed to reduce both capital and operation & maintenance costs, and to allow local manufacturing throughout the US and the world. The VolturnUS technology is the culmination of collaborative research and development conducted by

644-606: Is built." In October 2009, the Maine Department of Conservation and Maine State Planning Office released a document that detailed site selection methodology for the Maine Offshore Energy Demonstration Area Siting Initiative. The document outlines two phases. The first phrase focused on technical identification, public scoping sessions, and state consultation with state agencies. The second phase focused on map analysis (of ecological concerns, geology, obstructions, infrastructure, human uses of

690-532: Is pursuing a 12 MW demonstration project in the test site. The project would feature two 6 MW wind turbines mounted on a University of Maine-developed VolturnUS floating concrete hull. Sections of the VolturnUS will be fabricated in Hampden, Maine , and Searsport, Maine , and towed to the test site. An AC cable will join the turbines, and a subsea power cable will connect the test site to a point onshore. The project has

736-663: Is site of the annual Christmas play and community dinner. The following are people who have either resided on Monhegan or regularly visited the island: 43°45′44″N 69°19′13″W  /  43.76222°N 69.32028°W  / 43.76222; -69.32028 VolturnUS (floating wind turbine) The VolturnUS is a floating concrete structure that supports a wind turbine, designed by University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center and deployed by DeepCwind Consortium in 2013. The VolturnUS can support wind turbines in water depths of 150 ft (46 m) or more. The DeepCwind Consortium and its partners deployed

782-562: Is the Monhegan Museum, which is open middays from late June through September; the museum houses artifacts, reflecting the island's history. The island is on the Atlantic flyway and is a stopover for migrating birds and the birdwatchers who come seasonally to observe them. Monhegan's library was founded as the Jackie and Edward Library , named after two children who were lost to high waves on

828-463: The Grand Banks . Today, it still dominates Monhegan's economy. From October 1 through June, fishermen harvest lobsters from the only lobster conservation area in the state of Maine. Henry Trefethen was one of the original purchasers of Monhegan Island. The Trefethen House, the oldest house on Monhegan Island, served as a hotel for island visitors, and remains standing today. The beginnings of

874-677: The Indians , particularly in the lucrative fur trade . It was Monhegan traders who taught English to Samoset, the chieftain who in 1621 startled the Pilgrims by boldly walking into their new village at Plymouth and saying: "Welcome, Englishmen." On April 29, 1717, Monhegan was visited by the Anne , a small square-rigged snow crewed by pirates . She had originally been captured off the Virginia Capes in April by

920-547: The Whydah wrecking in the storm of the night of April 26. The pirates eventually realized the Whydah was lost, and proceeded to attack vessels at Matinicus Island and Pemaquid (now Bristol) . They outfitted for their own uses a small 25-ton sloop belonging to Colonel Stephen Minot they had captured off Matinicus. They abandoned all the other captured vessels (including the Anne ) and most of their prisoners at Matinicus on or about May 9, 1717, on Minot's sloop. Despite success as

966-645: The art colony on Monhegan date to the mid-19th century; by 1890, it was firmly established. Two of the early artists in residence from the 1890s, William Henry Singer (1868–1943) and Martin Borgord (1869–1935), left Monhegan to study at the Académie Julian in 1901. Among many early members who found inspiration on the island were summer visitors from the New York School of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of

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1012-532: The Cathedral Woods. A tradition of building miniature " fairy houses " from found materials in Cathedral Woods and other areas has brought controversy, guidance and even destruction of non-compliant constructions. The hill above the village is the site of the Monhegan Island Light , which offers a view of the village, the harbor, Manana Island, and across the sea to the west. Adjacent to the lighthouse

1058-640: The English. European explorers Martin Pring visited in 1603, Samuel de Champlain in 1604, George Weymouth in 1605 and Captain John Smith in 1614. The island got its start as a British fishing camp prior to settlement of the Plymouth Colony. Cod was harvested from the rich fishing grounds of the Gulf of Maine , then dried on fish flakes before shipment to Europe. A trading post was built to conduct business with

1104-555: The Fine Arts , such as Robert Henri , Frederick Judd Waugh , George Bellows , Edward Hopper and Rockwell Kent . Later members of the artist colony have included Jay Hall Connaway , Abraham Bogdanove , Andrew Winter , Reuben Tam , Frances Kornbluth , Elena Jahn , Lynne Drexler , Edward Betts , and Jamie Wyeth . The 150-foot (50 m) northside cliffs at Blackhead have drawn the interest of Monhegan artists, including Kent, Hopper, and Kornbluth. The Monhegan Museum celebrated more

1150-551: The Island, with residents considering potential impacts to their community. In early July 2016, the Monhegan Energy Task Force conducted a survey to gauge community interest and sentiment towards Maine Aqua Ventus and the proposed offshore wind demonstration project. The survey broke results down between all respondents (registered voter, property owner, year-round resident, or seasonal worker) and exclusively Monhegan registered voters. The survey found that respondents were more supportive of

1196-559: The Maine Department of Conservation released a document regarding the Maine Offshore Energy Demonstration Area Siting Initiative, which worked to establish several areas within Maine state waters that would be technically appropriate for an offshore wind demonstration area. The document stated that demonstration areas would be identified as a "three pronged approach," that would consider: geographical information system "showstoppers," human use and activities, and environmental considerations. Further,

1242-709: The New England Aqua Ventus project is now automatically eligible for an additional $ 39.9 million in construction funding from the DOE, as long as the project continues to meet its milestones. The developer asserts that the New England Aqua Ventus I project will likely become the first commercial scale floating wind project in the Americas. U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced in June 2016 that Maine’s New England Aqua Ventus I floating offshore wind demonstration project

1288-519: The UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site, per LD 1465: There are no enhanced limitations placed on traditional commercial or recreational uses within the test site. The University of Maine and its partners conducted a variety of ecological and environmental studies to characterize the UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site, primarily between 2010 and 2013. Studies include baseline data on benthic invertebrates , marine mammals , birds, fish, and others. Survey results were published in 2011 in

1334-488: The UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site. The UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site was designated to the University of Maine by the 124th Legislature of the State of Maine in 2009. As a result of recommendations from Governor John E. Baldacci 's Ocean Energy Task Force, the Maine Department of Conservation identified three locations off the coast of Maine as Wind Energy Test Areas. The sites were chosen following

1380-561: The University of Maine asserted that moving the test site would "kill the project." The EUT committee voted Ought Not to Pass Pursuant To Joint Rule 310, May 23, 2017. Monhegan Island The name Monhegan is a corruption of Monchiggon , the Abenaki language term for "out-to-sea island" used by Samoset , an Abenaki sagamore and the first Native American to make contact with the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony , in his early contacts with

1426-521: The University of Maine-led DeepCwind Consortium. During its deployment, it experienced numerous storm events representative of design environmental conditions prescribed by the American Bureau of Shipping Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbines, 2013. It was taken out of the water in November 2014. VolturnUS' floating concrete hull technology can support wind turbines in water depths of 45 meters (148 feet) or more, and has

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1472-583: The continuing draw of the island for artists in a 2014 exhibit entitled, "The Famous and the Forgotten: Revisiting Monhegan's Celebrated 1914 Art Exhibition." According to the United States Census Bureau , the island has a total area of 4.5 square miles (12 km ), of which 0.9 square miles (2.3 km ) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km ) (80.97%) is water. Monhegan is an island 1.75 miles (2.82 km) long and .75 of

1518-416: The document states: "Through a combination of anthropogenic , environmental , and geophysical analyses, the State of Maine hopes to site these ocean energy testing and demonstration projects in areas with the fewest conflicts, or at the very least, minimize what conflicts there will be. Adaptive Management will play a critical role in the duration of a project, or may affect how the project operates, once it

1564-406: The ferry landing or on a beach in the village precinct. The village includes a church, private homes, hotels, art studios, private homes for rent and a few small stores, including one that sells fresh fish/lobster. Much of Monhegan is uninhabited and open for exploration on 17 miles (27 km) of hiking trails, which lead to high cliffs overlooking the sea. Inland paths lead through woods, including

1610-466: The first floating offshore wind turbine to meet American Bureau of Shipping requirements for floating offshore wind turbines, demonstrating the feasibility of the VolturnUS concept. The design review was conducted against the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Installations. North America’s first floating grid-connected wind turbine

1656-468: The fishing fleet and burned the buildings, with many inhabitants escaping to Massachusetts . But even during periods when Monhegan was abandoned, its convenient offshore harbor remained a stopover destination for ships. The end of the French and Indian War in 1763 brought peace to the area, and on September 4, 1839, Mohegan—again under English Colonial control—was incorporated as an island plantation. In 1824,

1702-554: The island's shoreline, and specialized in children's literature. It became the Monhegan Memorial Library and broadened its literary selection. In 2005, the Monhegan Island School had seven students, ages five through 12 (kindergarten through eighth grade), all taught by a single teacher; high-school students must attend school on the mainland. The schoolhouse reportedly also serves as a community center, which

1748-556: The marine environment, and viewshed) followed by a ranking process that gathered written and oral comments from a variety of sources, including fishermen, state agencies, and other interested parties. Matthew Nixon of the Maine State Planning Office provided a culminating presentation at a "Developer's Summit," sponsored by the University of Maine in February 2011, describing the technical identification process and more than 40 public scoping sessions held in 2009. Maine Aqua Ventus I, GP, LLC,

1794-518: The pirate Samuel Bellamy in the Whydah , which wrecked in a storm on the night of April 26, 1717, off Cape Cod. The Anne made it through the storm with another captured vessel, the Fisher (which was soon abandoned and the pirates aboard her transferred to the Anne ). The pirates, led by Richard Noland , arrived at Monhegan on April 29, and waited for the Whydah , for the pirates had not seen or heard about

1840-428: The plantation was 97.33% White and 2.67% Asian . There were 46 households, out of which 13.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.3% were non-families. Of all households 47.8% were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

1886-630: The potential to significantly reduce the cost of offshore wind. With 12 independent cost estimates from around the U.S. and the world, it has been found to significantly reduce costs compared to existing floating systems. The design has also received a complete third-party engineering review. In June 2016, the UMaine-led New England Aqua Ventus I project won top tier status from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Technology Demonstration Program for Offshore Wind. This means that

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1932-462: The project (43.7%) versus opposed (40.2%) with a small percentage of undecided (16%). This support was found to be stronger among Monhegan Registered Voters. The same survey asked if Monhegan Plantation should cease to engage with Maine Aqua Ventus overall. The Monhegan Energy Task Force reported that nearly 80% of Registered Voters should engage with Maine Aqua Ventus and pursue a community benefit agreement. In late July 2016, Monhegan Plantation held

1978-513: The test site is among the most extensively studied in the Gulf of Maine. The site was established under Maine law in 2009. The legislation formally designates the test site as the "Maine Offshore Wind Energy Research Center." Maine Aqua Ventus I, GP, LLC, is pursuing a 12 MW demonstration offshore wind pilot project in the test site, with deployment and commercial operations planned for 2020. The following research and development efforts are allowable in

2024-401: Was 1.63 and the average family size was 2.24. In the plantation the population was spread out, with 10.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 37.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 127.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.1 males. The median income for

2070-485: Was 75 at the 2000 census. Monhegan Plantation created and authorized the Monhegan Energy Task Force to, "represent Monhegan in communications and negotiations with Maine Aqua Ventus regarding all aspects of the proposed offshore wind project, including the planning construction, operation, and decommissioning phases." As part of their proposed contract with the Maine Public Utilities Commission through

2116-633: Was lowered into the Penobscot River in Maine on 31 May 2013 by the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center and its partners. The VolturnUS 1:8 was towed down the Penobscot River where it was deployed for 18 months in Castine, ME, along with a UMaine-developed floating LiDAR . The prototype employs a 20 kW Renewegy VP-20 wind turbine with a 9.6 meters (31 feet) rotor. It

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