The first community solar-energy project in Gardiner, and one of the first such projects in Maine, has started producing electricity.
The project is a partnership between PowerMarket, a New York City solar management services startup, and SunRaise, a Portsmouth, N.H., solar energy developer, owner and operator.
In Maine, PowerMarket also has community solar projects in China, Baldwin and, soon, Belfast.
The Gardiner project sits on the roof of beverage distributor Pine State Trading Co., a privately held family business.
“We are very committed to making sure that generationally, we’re always looking forward,” Gena Canning, a member of Pine State’s board of directors and 2015 Mainebiz Women To Watch honoree, said in a news release. “We’re always trying to improve our community. And we’re always trying to reduce our carbon footprint because we want to be best in class. We want to make sure that by being the first community solar project in Gardiner, that we lead the way and we hope to support this vision for other businesses in our community.”
At 1.35 megawatts in capacity, the project is expected to generate over 1.5 million kilowatt-hours per year of clean energy, providing Central Maine Power Co. customers who are a part of the project with savings on their electricity bills. The development recently received a loan guarantee through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, and is now fully subscribed, according to the release.
“Our local Maine team has spoken to thousands of residents about community solar and its benefits, so we are thrilled to help one of the first projects in Maine start providing tangible environmental and economic benefits for the state and participants,” said Nick Baudouin, co-founder of PowerMarket.
In Belfast, another SunRaise community solar project is expected to start producing energy in a month.
Since 2019, the market for solar development in Maine has expanded dramatically as the result of state legislation, including a rule that allows net metering for arrays of up to 5 megawatts, up from 660 kilowatts.