Isle au Haut Electric Power Company is pleased to announce the release of this exciting bid opportunity for a new solar + storage islanding minigrid; bringing long-term, reliable, and affordable energy to our member-owners on Isle au Haut, ME, an unbridged island. In reviewing the RFP and required bid materials, if you have any questions or require further clarification about any of the requirements or schedule, please reach out to Bryan Carroll (manager @iahpower.org).

View the bid Here

My name is Molly Siegel and I started as an Island Fellow in September of 2018. I grew up in Bethel, ME where I attended Gould Academy. I graduated from Dartmouth College in 2016 with a degree in Environmental Studies. Since then, I have lived in Portland, ME and worked in education and public housing. I’m excited to live and work in this unique island community and try on the many hats of island living.

As an Island Fellow my projects include working towards solutions for sustainable, year-round housing and developing support for a community telemedicine facility. I will also be working with the Power Company to implement the solar project and increase access to energy saving opportunities such as weatherization.

Since October, I’ve been teaching music class at the school. We’ve been learning ukulele as well as working on singing and rhythm skills. The kids have had a blast learning this new instrument and are ready to share their talents with the community!

The housing committee has met regularly since November to develop a strategy to address the affordable housing shortage on the island. I’d like to thank the housing committee and those I have interviewed for sharing their honest feedback and thinking creatively to solve this problem. We are currently working on developing a shortlist of housing solutions and gathering feedback from the community on which ideas to pursue.

I maintain a Google Site called Island Fellow Notes. There you can find recent updates and meeting notes under the Blog tab, and links to examples of innovative housing solutions under the Research tab. You can submit comments or questions about my projects here as well.https://sites.google.com/view/islandfellownotes/home?authuser=0

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions or comments. I’d love to hear from you!

asiegel @islandinstitute.org

Isle au Haut Electric Power Company

Solar Project Update –– February 20, 2019

1. Last week we concluded an agreement to purchase 1 megawatt hour (1,000 kWh) of super capacitors (batteries) from Kilowatt Labs (KWL). [1,000 kWh is the equivalent of nearly 2,000 marine batteries.] The first 500 kWh, other equipment and software will be purchased for $371,000. We will purchase the second half within four years or when the cable fails, whichever comes first, for ~$180,000.  Total project cost – solar panels, super capacitors, etc. – is estimated at ~$1,560,000.
2. Our plan is to install the system late this spring. When the system is fully installed, the island will have 300 kW of solar panels and 1,000 kWh of super capacitors. 90%-92% of the island’s electrical power will come from solar and 8% to 10% from a diesel generator. The diesel will require about 2,500 gallons of fuel. But, installing 6 to 8 heat pumps in public buildings and homes will eliminate 4,000 to 6,000 gallons of fuel used to heat these buildings. The heat pumps will use ‘excess’, otherwise wasted, electricity that is generated when the super capacitors are full. Consequently, the net fossil fuel energy used by the project makes it ‘better than 100% renewable’ and much cheaper than our alternatives.
3. We will probably convert the company to a standard non-profit, electric utility co-operative with equally distributed ownership. This will convey significant tax advantages, saving us the equivalent of 6% to 8% of our annual revenues; and it will make the search for investors much easier.  The conversion decision will be discussed by the board and, ultimately, will be subject to a vote of our membership.
4. In addition to the co-op conversion, we will form a new company, an LLC; the LLC will purchase and own the solar project equipment for five years. The co-op will pay the LLC for the electricity produced by the solar project. In the sixth-year ownership will transfer to the co-op and the co-op will assume the obligations of the LLC. The LLC will obtain investment funds from several sources:

• Passive income investors a – total of ~$750,000.
• ’Island investors’ who will be asked to loan the co-op ~$700,000 at an annual rate of ~5%. We expect these individuals will come mostly from the island summer community.
• The power company will expend ~$250,000 of our reserves on the project.
• We will increase our monthly fee by ~$16 to a total of ~$32, or about $200/yr. (Compared with a fee that is proportionate to kWh use, a meter fee reduces the costs to year around residents.) These fees and our normal revenues will be used to pay off the loan from island investors. Other rates will remain the same.
• Reduced meter fees are the target of our effort at this time. This spring we will apply for a USDA grant which, if successful, will contribute $100,000 — $200,000 to the project and significantly reduce the monthly contribution from each meter. We will pursue other funding possibilities.
• Total project costs, including the costs of financing, will be around $1,700,000. We will be able to reduce these costs somewhat through the Federal tax credit for investments in renewables and accelerated depreciation.

For a more detailed update, please see the full announcement on the town website (under the community resources tab) and/or on the Iah Electric Power Company Facebook page.

Jim Wilson, President (with thanks to Molly Siegel for her significant editorial contributions)

Check out the status of the Solar Project by Jim Wilson! The attached PDF should answer any questions, curiosities, or concerns.

Solar Status Report November

A pair of broadband internet conferences were held on October 25^th and 26^th.  Charlie & Donna Hopkins, (Head Harbor), and Sue & Stew Foelix (East Side) ventured to listen, learn & bring back perspective.  Attendees included both year-round and summer residents from many Islands and rural Maine communities and providers small and large (TDS, FairPoint, GWI, Axiom, etc.).  Also represented were government agencies, advocates, and representatives of both Chellie Pingree’s and Angus King’s staffs.

The linked document below summarizes the two days.
Maine Broadband Coalition Conference

Our Action Steps:

1. Continue the dialog started with TDS at the conference regarding the remaining contracted FairPoint work needed to complete the 2016 system upgrades.  Since there were representatives from both companies present at the meeting, we took the opportunity to elevate the issue and to request monthly follow-up until it’s resolved
2. Identify what is needed to improve speeds for all Island homes.  TDS has indicated that some proposal work on accomplishing this is ongoing.  We have requested details when available.
3. Define what we want/need as a community going forward.  A thought is that we should advocate for a download speed of 25 MBPS (the national minimum to qualify as “broadband”), and an upload speed of 10 MBPS (the Maine minimum standard).  These speeds should allow for adequate capacity for important uses like store order placing, credit card processing, or videoconferencing.

Don’t forget to submit to next summer’s Saltwater issue of the Island Reader! Deadline is December 1st. Click the link below to learn more about submission details.

The Island Reader Volume 11, Summer 2017

Late last week Congress passed the new Federal budget. Included was an extension for five years of the 30% tax credit for investments in renewable energy. The credit had been scheduled to end in 2016; Congress’ action was a surprise even for people in the solar industry.

This change in the law means that we can reduce the cost of power on the island by slowing our transition to solar. The technology of battery storage is evolving very rapidly and prices for both solar panels and batteries are falling. This means the longer we wait the less expensive the system will be, but it doesn’t change our basic strategy. We are still faced with the problem of preparing for a sudden failure of the cable.

Consequently, we expect to invest less in the initial system but will design it so that it (1) puts us in a position to rapidly build out to a fully independent system in the event of a cable failure, and (2) gives us the experience we need operating the technology.

In short, we will start the project at about the same time as before. We will not invest as much initially and will put the emphasis on preparation for a quick build-out after a cable failure. And we will hope the cable holds on for a few more years!

For more information, “Like” the IAH Power Company’s Facebook page here.

From: Isle au Haut Comprehensive Plan Review and Implementation Committee (CPRIC)
To: Isle au Haut Community Members
Subject: September 2015 Update
Date: September 7, 2015

In 2012, the citizens of Isle au Haut and the State of Maine approved the Isle au Haut Comprehensive Plan. The plan addresses 13 critical areas, documenting town policies for each area and suggesting specific strategies for the town to focus on for its future health. Since the plan’s approval in 2012, few strategies have been implemented. Therefore, in June 2015, the selectmen approved the formation of the Isle au Haut Comprehensive Plan Review and Implementation Committee (CPRIC). The task of this committee is to review the existing plan and to work with the town in prioritizing which strategies to implement.

It has been just over 2 months since the Comprehensive Plan Review and Implementation Committee was formed. This will be the first of many updates to inform the community of our progress. Additional information can be found on the new Isle au Haut town website in the comprehensive planning section.

Our first meeting was on June 23, 2015, and we have met 5 additional times since then. These are the highlights of our progress:

• CPRIC members have reviewed the plan and determined that the plan approved by the town in 2012 is a good plan. We do not intend to rewrite the plan.
• The 2012 plan contains 89 actionable strategies, a few of which are duplicates. A summary of the policies and strategies for each of the 13 chapters can be found on the home page and CPRIC section of the town website. Hard copies are available to browse at the Island Store, Revere Memorial Library, and town hall reading room. Please take a few minutes to review this plan summary at your convenience.
• The committee’s primary focus is on implementing the 2012 plan’s strategies. 89 strategies represents a lot for a small community like ours, so the committee has begun to prioritize the strategies.
• To assist in prioritizing the strategies, the committee has created and launched a short survey to gauge the opinions and priorities of the community. Every one of the questions asked on this survey relates to at least one of the strategies in the 2012 comprehensive plan. The survey will be open to Isle au Haut community members through the end of September 2015. You can complete an online version of the survey here: http://goo.gl/forms/wErjYrYMXB Links to this survey are available on the home page of the town website and on the town Facebook group. For those without Internet access, hard copies of the survey are available at the Island Store. Please return completed hard copy surveys to the box at the store or to Meghan Cooper.
• The committee has launched a process to engage community members as we review each chapter of the plan. With your help, we hope to evaluate the thoroughness of each section and the respective implementation strategies. We hope that you will be open to participating in conversations about these chapters. We welcome your input at any of our meetings.
• By the end of September or early October, we plan to have a short list of 5-10 top priority strategies to share with the community.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 18 at 5:30 PM at the Town Hall. All community members are welcome to attend any and all of our meetings. Together we can work toward a strong future for our island.