Courtesy / Standard Solar
An aerial view of the new 5.7-megawatt community solar installation in Bethel.
October 18, 2021
Bethel community solar project goes online with 23 commercial customers
By Staff
Add another planting to Maine’s growing crop of community solar projects — the town of Bethel is the site of a new 5.7-megawatt generating facility.
The installation, owned and operated by Rockville, Md.-based Standard Solar Inc., went online last week, the company said in a news release Monday. A total of 23 Maine commercial and institutional electricity customers have signed on to receive net energy billing credits through the project, the release said. They include:
- Auburn School Department
- AVX Tantalum
- Bowdoin College
- The city of Portland
- Colby College
- Falmouth Public Schools
- L.L.Bean Inc.
- Maine Community College System
- Maine General Medical Center
- Maine Maritime Academy
- MSAD No. 11 Gardiner
- MSAD No. 15 Gray-New Gloucester
- Nestle Waters North America
- Northern Light Health
- Pleasant River Lumber Co.
- Portland Water District
- Pratt & Whitney
- Pride Manufacturing
- Regional School Unit No. 14 Windham-Raymond
- Scarborough School Department
- University of Maine System
- Waterville Public Schools
- York County
Developed in partnership with ECA Solar of Boston, the Bethel site is the latest in a series of community solar installations resulting from the Maine net energy billing program. It allows customers to offset their electric bill using the output produced by renewable energy projects like community solar farms.
Legislation passed in 2019 encouraged the development of community solar and other small renewable energy facilities, with goals of sourcing 80% of Maine’s energy from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% by 2050.
“As Maine continues its drive toward statewide clean-energy and climate-fighting goals, getting projects such as this one in Bethel completed and operational is critical,” said Harry Benson, director of business development for Standard Solar. “Standard Solar is proud to be part of one of Maine’s first completed and operational community solar projects, and we look forward to adding more projects throughout the state to make solar energy more accessible and affordable to Mainers.”
Standard Solar operates 225 MW of sun-sourced power generation sites across the United States, including 45 MW in Maine.
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