Vermonters of the Year: Dave Rapaport, Matt Rubin, and the East Haven Windfarm project

By Shay Totten | Vermont Guardian

posted December 23, 2005

Wind power. Few words have been as politically charged this year as these, eliciting spirited and vociferous debate in public meetings, regulatory hearings, and editorial pages.

Vermont is quickly approaching a crossroads in its energy future, with Vermont Yankee’s license to produce power expiring in 2012, and the state’s contract with Hydro Quebec starting to expire in 2015. Each of these sources meet about one-third of the state’s power needs.

Wind power is being held up as one of the premiere homegrown sources of power that could decrease the need for Vermont to import portions of its energy supply. Aside from the two main sources noted above, another third comes from a mix of sources, including the high-priced regional spot energy market, and about 10 percent of the state’s demand is avoided thanks to energy efficiency measures promoted by Efficiency Vermont.

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