With Statoil out of the picture,Maine Aqua Ventus, a University of Maine led science/business consortium, is moving forward with its plans to develop Maine's offshore wind energy resources and to secure millions more in federal clean energy dollars.

On November 6, the Maine Public Utilities Commission released a public version of Aqua Ventus's August bid proposal for a pilot wind project at the state's wind energy test site two miles south of Monhegan Island.

Aqua Ventus's principal partners, University of Maine, Cianbro and Emera, a North American energy company, propose to construct and deploy two 6-MW semi-submersible wind turbines, with concrete hulls and ultra lightweight advanced composite towers — a design they call VolturnUS.

The PUC and Aqua Ventus are currently negotiating contract terms that will define the cost to Maine rate payers for energy generated by the pilot project and specify the project's commitments and economic benefits to Maine.

Those contract terms, which will then need to be approved by the PUC, are expected by the end of this month.

"The PUC power-purchase agreement is the next step in securing the Department of Energy grant, which is critical for the success of this important project for our state," Jake Ward said in an Aqua Ventus press release.

University of Maine was one of seven recipients of a $4 million DOE grant last December; they are also one of six finalists, up to three of which will be selected by DOE in 2014 for another $47 million in federal clean energy dollars.

Energy generated by the pilot will come onshore via cable and connect to the CMP grid at a still to be determined site. This week and Nov. 25, Aqua Ventus is holding public meetings in Friendship, Port Clyde and Bristol, all potential locations for cable landing.

Energy generated will also be supplied to Monhegan Island and project proponents indicate they intend to provide that energy at no cost.

Last June, the University and its partners deployed a one-eighth scale model of VolturnUS off Castine and connected it to the grid. In their proposal, Aqua Ventus states that the VolturnUS model can achieve significant cost savings and unlike Statoil's Hywind Maine proposal, can be constructed and deployed in Maine, using Maine workers and materials.

The Aqua Ventus proposal is the consortium’s next step on the road to large-scale commercial wind farms in the Gulf of Maine, which, given the right conditions, they estimate could be a reality as soon as 2020.

Getting from here to there is dependent upon a number of factors, including the ability to drive down the costs of offshore wind energy and obtaining significantly more federal clean energy research dollars.