On the global level, 28 of the world's wealthiest investors simultaneously launched an initiative - the Breakthrough Energy Coalition - committing to investing billions of dollars in private sector capital in early-stage technologies relating to power generation and storage, transportation, industrial use, agriculture, and efficiency improvements. While this initiative presents an unprecedented opportunity to transport the way we generate, store, and use energy, Maine has more limited options.

Lynn Abramson from Washington, DC based Clean Energy Business Network will lead a conversation with MTI, Maine Accelerates Growth, UMaine, and CEI about what we can do in Maine to demonstrate leadership and support of the entrepreneurial spirit to develop next-generation technologies. Importance will be placed on how to best use public sector funding to leverage private sector investments in energy and environmental R&D. The role of the Federal and State governments in providing limited R&D dollars to startups in the energy and environmental sector will be discussed. Lastly, the speakers will deliberate on how can we develop private-public partnerships to harness the enormous potential to convert our natural resources to economic and business development opportunities.

Please visit for http://www.e2tech.org/Expo2017 registration, sponsorship, and agenda information. 

You don't want to miss out on our third annual E2Tech Talks! Speakers will present in a TED Talk-style format, providing a quick 7-minute discussion on their experiences, innovations, technologies, and challenges in making the world cleaner, smarter, and more productive and sustainable. E2Tech works hard to support Maine's energy and environmental businesses and we are excited to provide them with a platform to celebrate their successes.

• Phil Coupe - Managing Partner, ReVision Energy
• Bob Garver - Owner, Wicked Joe Organic Coffees
• Susan McKay - CEO, Cerahelix
• Jared Pinkham - COO, Grojo

Past companies featured in this popular panel include:

• David Markley - Co-Founder, Surge Hydro
• John Rooks - Co-Founder, President/CEO, Rapport
• Tony Wood - Founder/CEO, F.E. Wood Natural Energy
• Nadir Yildirim - President, Revolution Research
• Drake Bell - Exeter AgriEnergy/Agri-Cycle Energy
• Matt Jacobson - Executive Director, Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative
• Tony Kieffer - Managing Director, Arch Solar

Please visit http://www.e2tech.org/Expo2017 for registration, sponsorship, and agenda information.

Through the Maine Technology Asset Fund 2.0, the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) is responsible for soliciting proposals from Maine companies and organizations looking to make investments in R&D equipment, infrastructure and technology upgrades to drive innovation in Maine. Applicants will participate in a competitive process and will need to show how the grant funding will help them gain and hold market share, increase revenues, and grow or preserve jobs for Maine people. Panelists will discuss the $50 million in funds available for investment, innovation, growth, and job creation.

Beyond MTAF 2.0, panelists will discuss other investment and funding resources in Maine for energy and environmental companies, non-profits, entrepreneurs, municipalities, and projects. They will also deliberate what investors are looking for in the energy and environmental sector. This will lead to thoughtful conversation on how to convert innovative ideas into cash for implementation.

Please visit http://www.e2tech.org/Expo2017 for registration, sponsorship, and agenda information.

Before they get stuck between the rock and the hard place, businesses need the right people on their team at all times. Whether a new entrepreneur, a small startup team, or a multi-national corporation, expertise in the following areas will help ensure success:

1. Accounting/Financial

2. Legal

3. Marketing

4. Product/Service/Technology

5. Talent/HR

6. Vision/Leadership

E2Tech Expo 2017 will have a session that brings service reps together to let attendees know how to find them (and others like them) and why you need them.

Please visit http://www.e2tech.org/Expo2017 for registration, sponsorship, and agenda information. 

While many politicians want to bring environmental and energy policy back to the Stone Age - or more specifically, the Coal Age - there is a case to be made for a new "Energy Innovation Policy" to encourage products and services to combat climate change, air and water pollution, and other environmental challenges. For example, alternative energy is an emerging sector of the Maine economy, made up of firms and organizations engaged in activities ranging from renewable energy production and generation to technology system distribution and installation to weatherization and efficient building construction and retrofits.

The growing demand for energy resources, technologies, products, and services, as well as global efforts to combat climate change, provide opportunities for Maine's knowledge, skills, and capabilities. Steve McGrath, Governor LePage’s new Energy Director; Maine State Representative Martin Grohman; NECEC President Peter Rothstein; Innovation Policyworks CEO Cathy Renault; and Portland Press Herald Energy Reporter Tux Turkel will discuss how we make this case to Maine's legislators and administrators to use public policy to grow R&D capacity, increase human capital, advance new technologies, open up new markets, and encourage enterprises to build on Maine's unique competitive assets.

Please visit http://www.e2tech.org/Expo2017 for registration, sponsorship, and agenda information. 

Come one, come all to E2Tech’s 3rd annual Expo on Thursday, November 16 at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. This year the E2Tech Expo will engage private, public, and non-profit stakeholders to help both startups and mature, established companies access the resources they need to promote their products, services, and technologies; accelerate growth; compete in national and global markets; support a robust and innovative state environmental and energy market and workforce; and make Maine an innovation hub to start and grow a business. In the morning there will be time to network and grab some food before the E2Tech Annual Meeting, Keynote, and Plenary Panel. Lunch will provide another opportunity to network and explore the various event sponsor and exhibitor tables. In the afternoon, E2Tech Talks will focus on the Maine Innovation & Entrepreneurial Community followed by workshops designed to match attendees with opportunities to prosper and grow. The event will wrap up with a happy-hour networking session.

If you are interested in being an Expo Sponsor or Exhibitor, please visit
e2tech.org/Expo2017 and contact Jeff Marks at jeffmarks@e2tech.org. 

For more information about the event or to register,
please visit  the 2017 Expo Registration page.

In 2011, the Maine Legislature adopted a statutory goal to reduce oil use 30% by 2030. Maine consumes more heating oil per capita than any other state, making us susceptible to price volatility and fuel shortages. Mainers face many other heating issues, such as old, inefficient heating systems; poorly insulated and weatherized homes; and a long heating season. Maine is at a crossroads for heating and transportation energy policy, with some roads leading to long-term solutions and others accomplishing more short-term goals.

Heating system ease of use and affordability are important considerations in developing a robust heating energy policy. Mainers, especially the growing elderly population, want their heating system to be simple and easy to use. They understandably do not want to carry fuel to their stoves, but instead want to set a thermostat and be comfortable all season long. For example, for wood pellets to be considered a viable heating option for homeowners, suppliers need to continue developing ways to make them more user-friendly. Pellet boilers with hopper-fed pellets are certainly a step in the right direction for this industry.

Switching heating systems or even upgrading a system is often costly for the homeowner. Many Mainers are unable to afford to change their current heating system. However, financial assistance programs and additional education and outreach are options to more affordable heating.

Having an easy and efficient system will not reduce one’s heating bill or reduce one’s fuel consumption if their house is poorly weatherized. Another Maine statutory goal is for 100% of homes and 50% of businesses to be weatherized by 2030. While this is an aggressive goal, weatherization assistance programs and policies are already in place to help reach it. New infrastructure, buildings, and heating systems may need to meet or exceed efficiency and weatherization standards and regulations to help reduce oil dependency and heating bills.

As new technology is developed, and as more infrastructure is needed to accommodate the new technology and the increase in electrical demand, Maine will need an educated and trained workforce to meet this increased demand. And, as Mainers electrify their heating, Maine’s grid will need to be more resilient to ensure comfort and security year-round. Electric utilities will play a key role in ensuring heating electrification is done affordably, efficiently, and with transparency.

Maine is a rural state, resulting in many vehicle miles traveled. Maine uses more energy per capita and motor fuel per capita for transportation than the United States average, which unsurprisingly, also results in higher transportation fuel expenditures. Just like heating, Mainers struggle with vehicle fuel price volatility. Reducing Maine’s oil dependency in the transportation sector involves Mainers moving more efficiently and increasing the use of alternative fuel vehicles. This can be challenging, as Maine is one of the least densely populated states in the country. Diminished housing affordability and availability can contribute to housing sprawl and strand workers and the elderly outside the reach of public transport and vital services. Increasing electric charging corridors, ride sharing programs, and public transportation routes are all potential options to deal with this issue while also reducing emissions.

Transportation Energy Use Per Capita, Million Btu per capita, 2013
(U.S. Department of Transportation)

Motor Fuel Use Per Capita, Gallons Per Capita, 2013
(U.S. Department of Transportation)

Want to learn more about The Future of Fossil Fuels in Maine?
Join E2Tech and the Governor's Energy Office on Thursday, October 19 from
7:15 AM-12:00 PM at Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center.

Bernstein Shur loves what they do and are passionate about every part of it. Their experienced, interdisciplinary energy practice helps clients throughout New England and around the world navigate every part of energy generation and distribution. As part of the legal team, they will ensure your energy project runs like a closed circuit: seamlessly, and with an uninterrupted flow. That way, when it’s finally time for you to flip the switch, everything just works.

In response to the 1978 passage of PURPA, Maine began to restructure its energy markets. The origin of Bernstein Shur’s energy practice was in navigating through Maine’s restructuring process, as the market opened for independent generators to permit, build and operate generating facilities throughout the state.

Since that time, they have represented almost every independent generator across the state, from hydro to biomass to waste-to-energy to wind to solar. They have always been on the cutting edge of energy issues in Maine, from the waste-to-energy facilities in the 1980s and 1990s, all the way to the present, in which their subsidiary successfully pairs fleets of vehicles with biogas throughout the country under the EPA’s RIN program, as their clients lead the nation in merchant transmission installations.

While always looking to mitigate controversy, they specialize in highly controversial energy development projects – Maine has a unique political culture, and their lawyers, in addition to being technically proficient, focus on the practical, the cost-effective, and the human element of obtaining their clients’ goals. Having seen every possible type of objection to an energy project, they pride themselves on being adept at diffusing tension, creative problem solving, prioritizing legal issues, and being efficient with limited development dollars to achieve a financeable project.

While Bernstein Shur will zealously defend their clients’ projects and priorities (and have successfully litigated on their behalf), they are, at their core, deal lawyers – they want to get your project a “yes” – from the public, from the regulators, from your vendors, your lenders, and your investors.

In addition to subject matter expertise, they are experts in collaboration. Their level of experience affords them with close, positive, working relationships with in-house counsel, outside counsel, other local counsel, and consultants. In their team you will find a cohesive team of dedicated, fun individuals who love their particular role in Maine and New England’s energy markets.

Bernstein Shur joined E2Tech as a Sustaining Leader in 2017.

Learn more about our Sustaining Partner Program!

MTI is now accepting applications from Maine organizations looking to invest in R&D equipment, infrastructure, and technology as part of a $45 million bond referendum. MTI plans to distribute about half of the funds through a series of Lightning Rounds before the end of 2017. Interested applicants must meet all program requirements, including being a Maine organization; providing at least a 1:1 cost share for the project; using the fund for infrastructure (capital construction, improvements, or equipment costs); be associated with research, development, and commercialization innovation; and be within or intersect with one or more of Maine's seven technology sectors. The application includes submitting a 10-slide project pitch deck to MTI's online portal. Slide decks will be accepted and considered monthly through December 8, 2017. 

For more information, please visit the MTI Website.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that Hurricane Harvey significantly disrupted the oil and petroleum product supply chains. Inputs to Gulf Coast refineries dropped by 34% between August 21 and September 1, 2017. Texas is home to 31% of the United States' refining capacity, supplying petroleum products to the Gulf Coast, East Coast, Midwest, and international markets. Hurricane Harvey caused many refineries in the region to reduce or shut down production. The Colonial Pipeline, which runs from Houston to New York Harbor and connects 29 refineries and 267 distribution terminals while carrying 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, was forced to reduce shipping amounts and frequency due to low petroleum supplies. These disruptions caused gasoline drawdowns all along the East Coast and gasoline prices to increase. While gas prices typically rise for travel on Labor Day Weekend, the prices were exacerbated by Hurricane Harvey's impact to the supply chain.

Two weeks later, the disrupted supply chain hindered people trying to escape Hurricane Irma in Florida. Closed shipping ports led to fuel shortages and high gas prices which prevented many people from being able to smoothly evacuate from Irma's path. Even though the Secretary of Homeland Security waived the Jones Act temporarily allowing foreign-flag vessels to bring fuel from other eatern U.S. ports to South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico to reduce fuel shortages. At the height of Hurricane Irma, 59% of Florida customers experienced power outages. 

How Did Climate Change Play a Role?

While climate scientists and meteorologists are still running attribution studies to determine the level of impact greenhouse gases had on Hurricane Harvey and Irma, other factors can be assessed more easily. NASA and NOAA were both measuring the ocean temperature across the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico along the hurricane paths. Both bodies of water had surface temperatures of 30ºC/86ºF, which is warm enough to feed a category 5 hurricane. Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a category 4 hurricane, sustaining 130 mph winds, while Hurricane Irma broke the record for longest sustained category 5 winds (over 157mph) as it crossed the Caribbean islands, sustaining 185 mph winds. 

Hurricane Harvey's maximum storm surge was 12 feet above ground level, while other areas of South Texas experienced 3-6 feet storm surge. Southeast Texas experienced high levels of rain, with some areas getting over 40 inches within 48 hours. The maximum rainfall during Harvey was 51.88 inches, which broke the North American single rainfall event record. 

Hurricane Irma stretched from the east coast to the west coast of Florida, causing water to recede from the coast on the west, while causing an average 4 feet of storm surge on the southeast coast and seven feet of storm surge on the northeast coast. However, that storm surge is on top of the 10-12 inches of sea level rise along Florida's east coast in the last century, allowing additional areas to be flooded.

Another record Hurricanes Harvey and Irma created was having two category 4 hurricanes make landfall in the United States in the same year. Only 27 category 4 or stronger hurricanes have been documented in the United States since 1851, including Harvey and Irma. Hurricane season begins June 1 and continues until November 30 each year, so there is still plenty of time for additional devastating hurricanes to hit. Axios is reporting estimates of Hurricane Harvey having caused between $65-$75 billion worth of damage, while Irma is estimated to have caused $50 billion, together totaling around $120 billion in hurricane damages for 2017 so far (this does not include damage estimates for Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands). When adjusted to today's prices, Hurricane Katrina (2005) is still the most expensive hurricane at $160 billion. 

While climate change may impact each hurricane differently, we can all be sure there will be more storms of Harvey and Irma's magnitude, with more records broken in the future as our climate systems continue to change. We can already see this occurring as Hurricane Maria is causing catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands as a Category 5 hurricane, when just weeks prior they were hit with devastating Hurricane Irma, also a Category 5 hurricane. 2017 is the sixth year on record to have multiple category 5 hurricanes, with additional storms currently gaining strength in the Atlantic.