East Brown Cow, in partnership with ReVision Energy, announced the completion of an 11-acre solar array in Sidney, Kennebec County.
The solar array is expected to generate 3.2 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year. Portland-based East Brown Cow will sell its renewable energy credits as part of its broader commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
The parcel has 4,928 solar panels, which will offset nearly 3.2 million pounds of carbon dioxide each year, Portland-based East Brown Cow said. That’s the equivalent of the emissions created by driving 4 million miles in a gas-powered car.
“Our long-term partnership with ReVision Energy demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Tim Soley, president of East Brown Cow. “As our capacity at East Brown Cow continues to grow, so too does our responsibility to exercise that capacity in exploring new sustainability solutions.
“Expanding our real estate portfolio to include an off-site solar project is an exciting progression and an elegant solution in that it will yield both environmental sustainability outcomes and the financial sustainability needed for future stewardship initiatives.”
East Brown Cow has now partnered with South Portland-based ReVision Energy on five solar arrays.
Long-term strategy
East Brown Cow says by supporting green energy initiatives it can optimize the financial benefits of its renewable energy projects.
Construction of the site began in September 2023 and was completed in July. The Sidney array is online and connected to the grid.
East Brown Cow’s “commitment to renewable energy aligns with our mission to build a just and equitable electric future,” said Dan Weeks, vice president of business development at ReVision. “This project is possible because of the opportunity presented by a local landowner keen on addressing the effects of climate change they were seeing on the local level. It’s a powerful example of how a company like East Brown Cow can develop a major solar farm to meet their energy needs if the effort is put in to identify the right local partners.”
The project is East Brown Cow’s sixth solar array and fifth in partnership with ReVision Energy.
In 2017, the companies brought the first commercial solar canopy to a parking garage in Maine when 578 solar panels were affixed atop the company’s Fore Street Garage in the Old Port district of Portland. The canopy generates roughly 232,235 kilowatt-hours of solar electricity every year, producing clean, renewable power for the adjacent Hyatt Place Hotel, offsetting over 23% of the hotel’s electrical consumption.