Maine lawmakers clear 'groundbreaking' solar bill
Courtesy/Borrego Solar Systems
Borrego Solar Systems, the largest private commercial solar company in the United States, is bullish on expanding into Maine after lamwakers passed LD 1711. The company's portfolio includes this rooftop solar installation in Boston.
A bipartisan bill that would bring solar power to more Mainers cleared both houses of the state Legislature on Monday, prompting a national industry player to reiterate its ambitions to expand into Maine.
Hours after the Maine Senate passed LD 1711 by a vote of 32-2, the House gave its nod in a vote of 93-52.
That's welcome news to Borrego Solar Systems Inc., which had been watching legislative developments in Augusta as it looks at expanding into the Pine Tree State, Mainebiz reported last week.
The company is based in San Diego but has its largest office and Northeast headquarters in Lowell, Mass.
"We're excited," Ilan Gutherz, Borrego Solar's vice president of policy and solar strategy, said after Monday's votes.
"We are planning to significantly ramp up our operations in Maine over the next several months, and look forward to working with the Administration and other stakeholders to successfully implement this groundbreaking legislation."
The bipartisan bill, "An Act to Promote Solar Energy projects and Distributed Generation Resources," is sponsored by state Sen. Dana Dow, R-Lincoln.
It would make solar power more accessible to Mainers, particularly those with low or moderate incomes. It passed after related bills in previous years never made it to the finish line.
Maine ranks No. 43 among states based on solar power installations and last among the six New England states, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The Natural Resources Council of Maine says that LD 1711 will foster development of community solar farms by allowing Mainers to buy into solar energy if they can't place panels on their home, and enable the development of larger-scale community solar farms that could power more than 45,000 homes.
And the national Coalition for Community Solar Access estimates hat the measure will generate 553 full-time jobs during construction and hundreds of millions of dollars in local economic benefits.
"Mainers overwhelmingly support the transition to clean energy because they know it will help reduce energy costs, create new jobs and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels," Dylan Voorhees, clean energy director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said in a statement emailed to Mainebiz.
He added that the passage of LD 1711 "to jump-start distributed solar energy in Maine, combined with passage of the bill to expand the state's renewable energy portfolio standard, would send a strong signal that Maine is ready to once again become a leader in accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy."
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