MaineHealth commits to solar power for half of its energy needs
By Tux Turkel, Portland Press Herald MaineHealth has reached agreements to purchase power from three solar electric developers in a plan that’s expected to cut the health care system’s annual electric bill by at least $1 million while encouraging the growth of clean-energy generation in Maine. The 20-year agreements will help support 10 proposed solar […]
Initiative Could Move Several Maine Large Scale Electricity Users To Solar Power
“A consortium of Maine businesses, the University of Maine and, possibly, the city of Portland could band together to procure a slug of solar energy that could power as many as 40,000 homes. Last year Gov. Janet Mills and the legislature enacted a suite of measures to incentivize buildout of solar power production in Maine […]
How Maine could emit zero carbon by 2050 without more energy spending
AUGUSTA, Maine — A committee clerk called it the most interesting presentation she has heard in the State House. An energy economist, Richard Silkman, has been recently distilling a 98-page plan to make Maine a zero-carbon state by 2050.It relies on a large-scale shift from fossil fuels to an expanded electricity grid powered mainly by […]
Bangor moves toward installing solar panels on city property
The Bangor City Council could soon take another step toward installing solar panels on city property and using the resulting power to offset municipal electric costs. On Monday night, members of the council’s finance committee unanimously voted to recommend that the city keep working with ReVision Energy on a proposal to build solar panels on an unused […]
Portland Schools Look to Large-Scale Solar Providers for Energy
PORTLAND — The School Department is planning a switch to solar energy to meet most of its power needs. The department spends just under $1 million for the 3,500 kilowatts of electricity it uses yearly, according to Facilities Director Stephen Stilphen, and a switch to solar could shave $50,000 off that bill. The hope, he […]