ORONO — The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine will host a talk titled “It’s all about the grid: the past, present and future of energy in Maine” on Monday, Sept. 23, at 3 p.m. 

Join Maine energy reporter Kate Cough for a discussion on the history of electricity generation in Maine, recent efforts to shake up the system and what a transition to the grid of the future might look like. Cough will provide an overview of the changes that have shaped Maine’s energy landscape since the late 1990s, when the Legislature effectively banned grid owners from owning and operating generation plants, and how those changes have influenced today’s landscape as the state looks to incorporate more renewable energy sources and meet its climate goals.

Cough is editor of The Maine Monitor. She previously served as enterprise editor for outlet while also covering energy and the environment and writing the weekly Climate Monitor newsletter. Before joining the monitor, Cough was a beat reporter for The Ellsworth American, as well as a digital media strategist for it and the Mount Desert Islander. She graduated with honors from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and with Magna Cum Laude from Bryn Mawr College. She is an eighth generation Mainer who lives on Mount Desert Island with her husband, daughter and dogs.

All talks in the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series are free and are offered both remotely via Zoom and in person at 107 Norman Smith Hall on the UMaine campus in Orono. Registration is required to attend remotely. To register and receive connection information, see the event webpage. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Ruth Hallsworth, 207.581.3196; hallsworth@maine.edu.

About the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions: The Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine aspires to be a leader and valued partner in understanding and solving problems related to the growing challenge of improving human well-being while protecting the environment. We collaborate with diverse stakeholders and bring together faculty and students from many different fields. By connecting knowledge with action, we seek to create a brighter environmental, social and economic future in and beyond Maine.

About the University of Maine: As Maine’s only public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, the University of Maine advances learning and discovery through excellence and innovation. Founded in 1865 in Orono, UMaine is the state’s land, sea and space grant university with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. Our students come from all over the world and work with faculty conducting fieldwork around the globe — from the North Atlantic to the Antarctic. Located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation with UMaine Machias located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation, UMaine’s statewide mission is to foster an environment that creates tomorrow’s leaders. As the state’s flagship institution, UMaine offers nearly 200 degree programs through which students can earn bachelor’s, master’s, professional master’s and doctoral degrees as well as graduate certificates. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu/about/quick-facts/ and machias.edu/about-umm/umm-facts/.