Community Solar in Maine
MAINE COMMUNITY SOLAR DEVELOPER
MAINE COMMUNITY SOLAR
More and more Mainers are embracing community solar as a way to support local renewable energy and save on their electric bills. Property owners can generate revenue by hosting a community solar system on their available rooftops, parking lots, or unused land spaces.
As a Maine Community Solar Developer, Pfister Energy provides a new incremental revenue stream with guaranteed payments for Maine property owners by leasing their rooftops to host community solar projects.
MAINE COMMUNITY SOLAR SOLUTIONS
BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY SOLAR IN MAINE
In 2019 the state legislature passed LD1711, creating
Maine’s Net Energy Billing Program. The new program
enabled clean energy to be generated on rooftops and fed back into the grid to be sold at a discount to subscribers such as churches, small businesses, and residents. The property owner hosting the system and their tenants have no obligation to purchase the electricity.
- Building owners that participate can receive annual lease payments from $30,000 - $40,000 per megawatt installed.
- Property owners can generate a guaranteed 20-year revenue stream by going solar without any upfront costs while using unused rooftops or parking areas.
- As the site host you have no commitment to purchase any electricity from the community solar system.
- Local families and small businesses pay the solar company at a lower rate than the value of the utility-received bill credit.
- Secure Maine's clean energy future, create local jobs, and preserve land through rooftop solar.
- Contributes to cleaner air by reducing reliance on expensive, polluting fossil fuel energy sources.
- Give towns and other organizations an opportunity to build large, cost-effective solar farms that serve multiple homes, businesses, and other consumers.
- Expands access to local clean energy for renters or those lacking a suitable roof, and those who can’t afford the upfront cost of solar.
Community solar provides a way to access clean energy for Mainers who are renting or living in mobile homes, do not have the money to cover installation costs, or do not have a suitable roof. In 2019, the Governor and Legislature signed a new law to improve energy equity in Maine. The law requires that 10% of community solar project capacity be paid for by low- or middle-income households or organizations serving low- to moderate-income families.
MAINE COMMUNITY SOLAR DEVELOPERS
PFISTER ENERGY AND MAINE COMMUNITY SOLAR
Pfister Energy is a leading turnkey developer and installer of renewable energy projects throughout the United States. We specialize in community solar projects that create significant revenue streams for property owners with no out-of-pocket costs, as well as behind-the-meter solar and battery storage projects for businesses looking to save on electricity bills, consume on-site clean energy and improve resiliency.
- Pfister Energy is responsible for all costs associated with engineering, installing, and maintaining the system.
- We will perform a pre-roof inspection to install a system that will not impact the roof and maintain its warranty through its lifespan.
- If needed, we will structure lease payments to assist with roof repair or replacement.
COMMUNITY SOLAR IN MAINE
HOW DOES COMMUNITY SOLAR WORK?
- A community solar project is constructed on a rooftop or unused land.
- The solar array is then connected to the utility grid. This generates eco-friendly solar energy for the grid, helping reduce reliance on harmful fossil fuels.
- An electric meter keeps track of the energy being produced which the utility then translates into a monetary value, which is called a “solar credit.”
- Individuals subscribe to the project, and by doing so get a share of the credits produced. These credits are what lead to reductions in energy costs.
- Local governments enable project owners to provide these credits as part of Maine’s renewable incentive program.
- As the solar array is connected to the utility company, the credits are efficiently applied onto existing utility bills.
- The building owner receives lease payments for installing the solar array onto their unused rooftop, parking lot, or land spaces.
maine ENERGY SOLUTIONS
WHAT IS THE MAINE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM?
Community solar, also known as Net Energy Billing (NEB), is designed to promote the expansion of solar energy production and clean energy in Maine. Eligible solar projects receive credit for each kWh of electricity they generate. Utility customers sign up with the owner of a solar project and receive a share of the credits generated by the project. The solar project can be located anywhere in the service territory of the utility company (Central Maine Power or Versant Power’s Bangor Hydro District or Maine Public District).
Community solar has been available in Maine for 15 years; the state initially passed community solar legislation in 2009. Due to net metering caps and other factors of the community solar policy, Maine has had difficulties growing its community solar market to the full potential. Now, community solar is on the rise in the Pine Tree State. In 2019, legislators passed An Act to Promote Solar Energy Projects and Distributed Generation Resources which has helped to eliminate some past barriers, as well as promote community solar development.
Updates to the Net Energy Billing Program:
In 2019, the Net Energy Billing Program was updated.
- NEB programs allow customers to offset their electricity bills using the output from small renewable generators.
- Customers may own their own project or share in a project with other customers.
- The generation facility may be located on the customer’s property or on another property within the same utility service territory.
- Under Maine’s NEB, there are two programs: NEB kWh Credit Program (available to all electric utility customers) and NEB Tariff Rate Program (available to non-residential customers).
MAINE COMMUNITY SOLAR Developer
Services
There has never been a better time for Maine building owners to go solar with pfister energy by hosting a Community Solar system.
Learn more about Maine’s Community Solar Program here!
