Reliable, Home-grown Energy

Maine has an abundance of hydropower, biomass, wind and solar resources. If all Maine's renewable energy facilities were in production, nearly half of Maine's total electricity demand could be met. This would also displace the equivalent of 9.5 Million barrels of oil, much of which is currently imported to New England.

Among the United States, Maine is not unusual in its unnecessary addiction to foreign sources of energy. Green power is a market-based approach to weaning our country from this dangerous dependence.

Decentralized, Robust and Secure

Renewable energy units are generally smaller than traditional generation facilities. They are also located in areas where the resource exists - on small rivers, ridgelines, hilltops and even rooftops. Renewables are usually clustered, so if one is down for repair, others remain in production. Investing in a wind farm instead of a natural gas power plant, for example, locks in a dependable, domestic source of electricity that offers protection against the vagaries of natural gas suppliers. Wind farms are also likely to be multi-unit facilities, and therefore more difficult to completely disable by sabotage or terrorism.

Generating electricity from sustainable sources prevents a dangerous reliance on foreign sources of energy - sources that could be interrupted and will eventually be exhausted.