YORK, Maine – Nautilus Solar Energy has announced the investment of $100 million to bring community solar to Maine, providing thousands of residents an equitable and affordable renewable energy choice. With a local office in the Town of York, Nautilus has had a presence in Maine for over four years, and a commitment to power local communities with clean affordable energy for more than thirty years.
“As a solar industry veteran and a long-time resident of York, Maine, I am thrilled that community solar is finally coming to our great state,” says Nick Addivinola, Executive Director, M&A for Nautilus. “These projects will provide a clean, renewable energy choice for Mainers who do not have access to solar power, such as those who may not have a suitable roof for panels, renters, or low-to-moderate income earners. In addition, our projects are bringing jobs, tax revenue and economic growth to the state.”
Community solar is part of Maine’s Net Energy Billing (NEB) program, which was amended in June 2019 by Governor Mills to provide renewable energy benefits, energy efficiency, and reduced costs for its residential customers. In fact, a new study released in March 2021 shows that the NEB program has generated $60 million in economic activity with the potential for nearly $800 million more in new investment into the state. Furthermore, community solar also supports Maine Won’t Wait, the new four-year climate action plan from the Maine Climate Council launched in December of 2020.
Nautilus partners closely with communities to produce local tax revenue, bring new job opportunities and deliver energy savings to Mainers. Community solar represents the democratization of solar energy. Nautilus’s community solar projects will provide the environmental equivalent of planting over 42,200 trees or taking over 6,000 cars off the road for the year, curbing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing harmful effect of climate change. These projects provide a direct benefit to the local Maine economy through the creation of jobs in the fields of consulting, engineering, construction and related workers.
Any residential Central Maine Power utility customer is eligible to subscribe to one of the projects through Nautilus with no upfront cost, no long-term commitment and no cancellation fees. The Nautilus team is currently inviting customers to subscribe to one of its community solar projects located in Androscoggin, Kennebec, Knox, Oxford, Somerset, and York counties.
As one of the fastest growing sectors of the Maine clean energy industry, community solar is a local solar “garden” or “farm” shared by multiple community subscribers. Each community solar farm produces enough energy to power several hundred homes. The electricity generated by the community solar project is injected into the electric grid, and the power is then delivered to the subscriber by Central Maine Power.
