The town of St. George has flipped the switch on its new solar array, which is expected to supply 90% of power to municipal buildings.
The PenBay Pilot reported the 225-panel array is located on the roof of the town’s transfer station. ReVision Energy will own and get the tax credits and depreciation of the solar system for six years. At that time the town can purchase the solar array.
The town of Camden fired up its first municipal solar array in January. At that time, the PenBay Pilot reported the array is expected to offset about 7% of the town’s annual energy use. The ground-mounted array, installed by ReVision Energy, consists of 351 solar panels and is on municipally owned land.
In 2017, the city councils of Portland and South Portland approved contracts with Portland-based ReVision Energy to create two of the state’s largest municipal solar farms on each city’s former landfill. ReVision has a growing portfolio of solar projects for municipalities, schools and businesses across the state. In late 2015, the company completed its first solar farm on an old municipal landfill, a 120-kilowatt, 396-panel project at Belfast’s former landfill on Pitcher Road.
At a glance: Maine towns and cities that have gone solar
According to the Natural Resources Council of Maine, operational municipal solar projects as of mid-2017 included: Appleton Public Library; Bangor High School; Bar Harbor Public Works; Belfast Fire Station, landfill and middle school; Boothbay public works, fire station and recycling center; Brunswick High School; Cumberland Greely High School; Damariscotta Great Salt Bay School; Dayton Municipal Office Building; Eliot Public Works; Falmouth School Department; Farmington Mt. Blue School; Freeport Public Library; Gorham Municipal Center; Gray-New Gloucester High School; Hampden Weatherbee School; Lincolnville Public Library; Manchester Fire Station; Monhegan Plantation Power District; Montville Public Works; New Gloucester Water District; Rockland Aqua Maine Water Treatment Plant; Rockport Camden Hills Regional High School; Scarborough Public Works and Fire Station; Searsmont Municipal Office Building; South Berwick Public Library; South Portland City Planning Office; Thomaston Wastewater Treatment Plant; Topsham Mt. Ararat Middle School; Waterville Sewerage District; Wells Town Garage; Whitefield Fire Station; Windham Fire Station and Municipal Office Building; Winthrop High School; Yarmouth town garage, water district and high school; York School Department.
