Proposed solar legislation gains broad support
A group of solar businesses, workers, municipalities, community leaders, utilities and other stakeholders on Thursday said they support proposed solar legislation that will increase installations of solar throughout Maine and potentially create jobs.
The bill resulted of a six-month stakeholder process called for by the Legislature last year. Constituents call it a “breakthrough agreement” with diverse parties to chart a path forward for solar.
The bill creates opportunity for customers of all sizes to choose clean energy by calling for installing 250 megawatts of new solar by 2022. That in turn is expected to drive investments in rooftop solar on homes and businesses, boost use of community solar and open the market for large-scale and grid-scale solar. Maine currently has about 18 MW of solar installed, according to a Natural Resources Council of Maine statement.
The proposed bill also attracted support from utilities, along with more than a dozen solar installers from across Maine.
“The Office of the Public Advocate’s proposed bill moves the debate into the next generation of clean energy production,” John Carroll, spokesperson for Central Maine Power, said in a statement. “This is a forward-looking proposal that sets goals to increase Maine’s solar energy capacity and to maximize new energy technologies to benefit consumers more equally.”
Added Alan Richardson, president and COO of Emera Maine, “This proposal creates an opportunity for our customers to benefit from solar energy and help our environment... We believe it represents a fair balance, and we are glad to support it.”
According to the Natural Resources Council of Maine, over the next five years the policies in the bill would:
- Yield a 10-fold increase in the amount of solar in Maine;
- Triple Maine’s solar workforce by adding 800 new solar jobs.
- Give greater certainty to customers, businesses and utilities.
- Begin capturing the value of solar in ways that benefit all ratepayers.
The NRCM is expected to hold an online Webinar on the topic on Monday, Feb. 29 at noon. Click here to register online. The Energy Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill in the coming weeks, likely during the week of March 7, according to Clean Energy Policy Advocate.
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