The power of community engagement

It looks like wind power is about to become substantially more prevalent here in New England.  Not only is the nation’s first large-scale, off-shore wind farm expected to come online in 2012 on Nantucket Sound, the world’s largest wind power producer, Iberdrola, recently announced  it will finance a $1.4 billion power grid upgrade to help pave the way for wind power in Maine.

What caught my eye was the substantial service territory this project will serve.  While Iberdrola has received support from state and federal public officials, the customer continues to be the important win.  And seven million customers is no small feat, especially here in the northeast.

We’ve worked side-by-side with power generators – both renewable and nonrenewable– and have seen the value of not only getting the approval of elected officials, but truly engaging communities on an ongoing basis as partners and advocates for the very energy they consume.  Our friends at Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) have set the industry standard with the great work they’ve done up in Eastport, Maine to partner with the fishing industry, local and state officials and residents, the University of Maine, and others to successfully develop a mutually-beneficial, sustainable community relationship while simultaneously  achieving new firsts with industry-leading ocean power technologies.

As renewable energy development continues to increase, so too, do the expectations among host communities to have a voice and to be informed – especially when funding for costly infrastructure improvements will be recouped from electric ratepayers. You must go far beyond  check and ribbon cutting to be successful.  Personal, consistent, meaningful communication and relationship building is essential – not just for successful development, but ultimately for the long term sustainability of these energy sources.