Offshore Wind Speaker Series

This fall we are hosting a six-part speaker series on the topic of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.

The goal of this series is to educate ourselves & others on the various aspects of the floating offshore wind turbine projects that have been proposed for the Gulf of Maine: the Aqua Ventus/University of Maine demonstration project & research array, as well as the BOEM (Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) projects.

By the end of the series, we hope to have gained a robust understanding of the offshore wind landscape in Maine - technical, ecological, economic, & political - so that we can better advocate for a just transition to renewables without further marginalizing frontline communities.

We are curating questions about offshore wind from youth, & while these conversations will be hosted live over Zoom, they will be recorded for the purpose of producing a

podcast mini-series. We hope that by producing a podcast, we will be able to reach a broader audience of both youth & adults who wish to better understand the issue of offshore wind in Maine.

MAINE YOUTH! WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT OFFSHORE WIND?

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS HERE!

Stay tuned for MYCJ's first podcast mini-series on Offshore Wind!

Topics & Speakers

Dr. Habib Dagher - Thursday September 22nd at 5pm

Part 1: Technical Aspects of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

The first part of this series will feature Dr. Habib Dagher, Professor of Civil & Structural Engineering at the University of Maine and founding Executive Director of the University of Maine's Advanced Structures & Composites Center. He will be discussing the technical aspects of the floating offshore wind turbines proposed for the Gulf of Maine. Watch it here!

Dr. Damian Brady - Thursday October 6th at 5pm

Part 2: The fisheries & ecological impacts of OSW

The second part of this series will feature Dr. Damian Brady, Associate Professor of Oceanography in the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine & Chair of the Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine. He will be discussing the ecological & potential fisheries impacts of the floating offshore wind turbines proposed for the Gulf of Maine. Watch it here!

Dr. Alison Bates - Thursday October 20th at 5pm

Part 3: Equity & Inclusion in Public Engagement, & the OSW Roadmap

The third part of this series will feature Dr. Alison Bates, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Colby College. She will be discussing issues of equity & inclusion in public engagement, & the State of Maine's OSW Roadmap process. Watch it here!

Ben Martens - Thursday November 3rd at 5pm

Part 4: Principled Opposition to OSW

The fourth part of this series will feature Ben Martens, Executive Director of Maine Coast Fishermen's Association. He will be discussing the opposition to the offshore wind projects; who opposes them, why they oppose the projects, & what alternatives or compromises the opposition would support. Watch it here!

Grant Provost - November 17th at 4:30pm

Part 5: Unionized Labor & Economic Issues surrounding OSW

The fifth part of this series will feature Grant Provost, Business Agent for Maine Ironworkers Local 7 Union. He will be discussing labor & economic issues surrounding OSW in Maine. Watch here!

Panel Discussion - Thursday February 16th from 4:30 to 6 pm

Part 6: Creating the Future We Want to See

The sixth & final part of this series will feature a panel of youth & experts discussing the potentials for a just, liveable future where all Mainers thrive.

Webinars

Watch our Speakers' Presentations!

Stay tuned for the podcast series to hear the full conversations!

The first installment in our Offshore Wind Speaker Series: a conversation with Dr. Habib Dagher about the technical aspects of installing floating offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine!

The second installment in our Offshore Wind Speaker Series: a conversation with Dr. Damian Brady about potential fisheries and ecological interactions with offshore wind turbines.

The third installment in our Offshore Wind Speaker Series: a conversation with Dr. Alison Bates about equity and inclusion in public engagement, and Maine's offshore wind "Roadmap" process.

The fourth installment in our Offshore Wind Speaker Series: a conversation with Ben Martens about the opposition to offshore wind in Maine, & what meaningful inclusion of stakeholders should look like.

The fifth installment in our Offshore Wind Speaker Series: a conversation with Grant Provost about labor unions & economic issues surrounding offshore wind in Maine.

The final installment in our Offshore Wind Speaker Series: a panel discussion between Dr. Alison Bates, Dr. Francis Eanes, and Ben Martens, moderated by Ania Wright and Josh Caldwell! Enjoy!

Resources

Maine Offshore Wind Resources:

Aqua Ventus & the University of Maine's Project (the Monhegan Island demonstration project & proposed research array)
New England for Offshore Wind - Maine
The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's page on the progress of Offshore Wind in the Gulf of Maine
- BOEM's overview of offshore renewable energy

Articles & Videos:

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Podcast

All six podcast episodes will be released together this winter after our final panel discussion!