“Community solar is a particularly important part of the overall solar policy mix because when done properly it provides opportunities for participation by a variety of residential and commercial, non-profit, and municipal customers who may otherwise not be able to do so. ln particular, community solar can provide opportunities for both renters and low to moderate income residential customers to participate in solar projects.”
– Testimony by Fortunat Mueller, co-founder of ReVision Energy
This bill would have directed the Public Utilities Commission, the regulatory body in Maine that oversees utilities, to enter into 20-year contracts for large-scale community solar projects to procure 120MW of solar over four years, enough to power approximately 19,600 homes.
Maine is unequivocally on the frontline of climate change. At the same time, the most vulnerable Mainers among us–low-income families, seniors, and Maine’s tribal communities, who have suffered from generations of exclusion—are most at risk from the threats of climate disruptions like heat waves, flooding, and extreme weather. This bill addressed these interrelated challenges by creating a market for community solar, which would both reduce carbon and spread the benefits of renewable energy across a large number of people.
DEAD: This bill passed, was vetoed by Governor LePage, and the veto was narrowly sustained by a few votes in the House.