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Updated: 2 hours ago

Solar array in Sanford is one of southern Maine’s largest

Solar panels are set in long rows. Photo / Courtesy Walden Renewables The 28-megawatt solar farm, stretching across 140 acres, is said to be one of the largest solar installations in southern Maine.
By Laurie Schreiber

Construction is reaching completion on a 28-megawatt solar farm on a 140-acre parcel on New Dam Road in Sanford, said to be one of the largest solar installations in southern Maine.

Walden Renewables recently unveiled the Mousam River solar project. Investment into construction was $38 million, financed using Walden sponsor equity, a construction/term loan and tax equity investor using a partnership flip model, Jack Kenworthy, the company’s founder, chief development officer and COO, told Mainebiz.

Walden Renewables, headquartered in New York City, is a clean-energy developer with a strong presence in Maine, building large-scale solar and battery projects. A focus is on utilizing underused or brownfield sites, such as the former recycling site in Sanford, into productive, revenue-generating solar facilities. 

6,000 households

The Sanford array will be able to produce up to 28 megawatts of power, estimated to be capable of offsetting the power needs of the equivalent of nearly 6,000 average households. 

Kenworthy credited relationships between landowners, city officials and Walden’s development team for advancing the project, which is expected to provide commercial tax revenue and to expand Sanford’s tax base.

The 140 acres stretches across several privately owned parcels. The facility was developed by Walden Renewables.

Jobs and tax revenue

The project creates jobs and economic investment in the region, said Dan Burgess, acting commissioner of the Maine Department of Energy Resources. And it reflects the city’s commitment to attracting sustainable development and new investment. 

“Projects like this don’t just generate clean energy — they generate real economic value for Sanford,” said Maura Herlihy, Sanford’s deputy mayor. “The Mousam River Solar Project expands our commercial tax base and strengthens the city’s long-term revenue picture. It’s exactly the kind of investment that supports sustainable growth for our community.”

People pose in a line with a ribbon.
Photo / Courtesy Walden Renewables
From left, Walden Renewables’ Dale Knapp, Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s Patrick Woodcock, Maine Department of Energy Resources’ Dan Burgess, City of Sanford’s Maura Herlihy, Walden’s Jack Kenworthy; Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council’s Keith McBride, York County Community College’s Cait Grant, Walden’s Nate Colannino.

The project underscores opportunities for Maine’s future workforce, said Cait Grant, vice president of York County Community College.

“YCCC’s mission is to develop an educated, skilled and adaptable workforce, and as renewable energy projects come online across the state, the need for well-trained technicians, electricians and project specialists will only continue to grow,” Grant said.

Sanford is one of the top communities in Maine for solar installation, with about 90 megawatts of installed capacity, second in the state to Farmington. 

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