This week will see the opening of Maine’s second wind energy farm. The new 57-megawatt wind farm will provide the energy equivalent of the power required for 23,500 homes.

The wind farm, known as the Stetson Project, was developed by First Wind with a total of 38 wind turbines strung along a low mountain ridgeline in Eastern Maine. Combined with the previously built wind energy farm, also by First Wind, almost 100 megawatts of power will be produced.

First Wind has stated that the amount of oil required to produce that much energy would be 331,000 which would contribute 76,000 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

With the opening of the Stetson Project, Stetson II is already working on getting its permits. Stetson II would add an additional 17 wind turbines onto the project.

Currently in the construction phase and planned for operation next year is TransCanada’s  even larger project in Western Main. The 44-turbine wind energy farm will produce an additional 132 megawatts.

All of these and more wind energy projects are steps close to achieving the goals laid out by the Governors Task Force on Wind Power Development which is calling for a minimum of 2,000 megawatts of power derived from wind energy by 2015.