Apparatus in a clearing between Round and Round, N. (ME)

[Sherby]

Hey,

Sadly I didn't take a picture, but we come across an apparatus in a clearing between Round and Round, N. (ME) that was connected to both a solar panel and some propane tanks, every few seconds it emitted a "beep", someone knows what it is?

Btw. we also stumbled upon a solar-powered camera near the summit of Caribou, any idea why it's there?

 

[JoshandBaron]

Radio repeater?

 

[Sherby]

No "antenna", but as Google return results for repeater + propane, that's probably it.

 

[skiguy]

Hey,

Sadly I didn't take a picture, but we come across an apparatus in a clearing between Round and Round, N. (ME) that was connected to both a solar panel and some propane tanks, every few seconds it emitted a "beep", someone knows what it is?

Btw. we also stumbled upon a solar-powered camera near the summit of Caribou, any idea why it's there?

Are you sure they were propane tanks. A radio reaper actually has what is called a Duplexer. Which could be mistaken for propane tanks. With an Antenna present that would also support the presence of a Radio Repeater. Here is a link to some pictures of duplexers. Not sure where exactly Round is. But with more info it might be listed in a repeater directory.
https://goo.gl/images/XxBKSE

 

[Sherby]

Location : https://www.google.com/maps/@45.2687951,-70.6790665,16.16z/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e4 (you can actually see it from the sat. imagery).

 

[Fuzzy]

I see a clearing. Nothing else. Perhaps the NSA airbrushed it out?
Could be a weather station. The beep (ping!) indicates that this machine is very expensive, whatever it is...

 

[nartreb]

Google maps satellite view shows what looks like a square-based tower, maybe ten feet wide, just south of where the road peters out in the clearing.

Possibly a small solar panel on top. I would have expected propane tanks to be big enough to be visible (it's not a place you want to be refueling often, especially in winter), and to be attached to a generator, which might also be big enough to show up. But if it's something that can be powered by that tiny solar panel, I doubt it needs backup power other than a battery.

A weather station would usually have a couple of visible instruments, like an anemometer. A radio repeater would just have an antenna or two, and maybe a couple of big cylindrical duplexers.

 

[Sherby]

Found it, it's a wind profiler: https://www.vaisala.com/en/products...t-devices/weather-stations-and-sensors/triton

 

[peakbagger]

Looks like another wind farm is going to spoil a ridge (and potentially prevent access)

 

[Sherby]

Hopefully not, there is already 6 3k peaks with a wind farm (1 vt, 2 nh, 3 me)

 

[egilbe]

I don't get the animosity towards Wind farms. For me, they don't particularly spoil the view, any more than someone's house, road or camp does. I would hate that they block access to certain peaks, but as far as the viewshed goes, I'm meh.

 

[Sherby]

The road network they need to build to set them up is a ugly scar...

 

[Sherby]

Found another of those wind profiler near Leroy today (near the road that reaches ~ 2600').

 

[peakbagger]

Nice to here of someone observing the front lines of slow motion gold rush of wind power in the rural areas of Maine. NH is on the sidelines as the same issue that makes Northern Pass a loser makes other projects a no go (there was a project larger than the Granite Reliable Project proposed for north of RT26 that was hoping to ride the coattails of NP) Like other resource extraction industries the game is stake a claim to the resource and then wait for the infrastructure to catch up. Maine is easier to put in wind farms as much of the land is unorganized townships under state control with little population, far easier than northern NH with a small but annoying local population. Also fewer federal lands to avoid in Maine.

Once the site is characterized for wind speed resource and a option is signed, the site is now a tradable commodity. Currently the limiting factor is grid infrastructure, there is virtually a unlimited demand for wind power in southern New England but no one wants to pay to expand the grid infrastructure into rural Maine. So the game is hedge the bets on potential wind farm locations and hope some big power line project gets approved where someone else is paying the bills (usually the regional ratepayers). Those with the right sites get to cash them out to developers or develop them themselves.

The only thing that's going to slow down this market is if the region rolls the dice and spends the big bucks for more expensive to build but far more consistent off shore wind.

 

[nartreb]

Offshore wind still needs a grid. I imagine offshore will go in a) after onshore is built, with transmission economics worked out and/or b) starting further south, where it's closer to customers.

 

[peakbagger]

Offshore would have gone into Maine if the state was willing to subsidize it. With Mass signing a big off shore wind contract that primes the pump for the region. The reality offshore wind (along with on shore wind) follows the money, fossil is cheaper and will be cheaper until carbon is regulated.

 

[peakbagger]

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/07...ents-in-maine-hinge-on-election-for-governor/

Good overview on the magnitude of investment waiting in the wings. Note the investments don't appear to include the grid infrastructure which could double the total.