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February 2, 2009

Solar co. offers competing energy proposal

By The Mainebiz News Staff

A Portland-based energy company has proposed building acres of solar-electric panels throughout coastal, southern and central Maine as an alternative to expensive upgrades to the state's electrical transmission system.

GridSolar LLC is proposing building about 400 25-acre solar panel farms near communities that use a lot of power in the summer and that Central Maine Power Co. has said are prone to blackouts and reliability problems, according to the Portland Press Herald. The $1.4 billion project would start by building enough solar panels to provide about 100 megawatts of electricity, probably to the Midcoast or Lewiston-Auburn areas. Each 25-acre farm could accommodate enough panels to generate roughly two megawatts. The company has filed details of the plan with the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which is currently considering a competing $1.4 billion transmission upgrade project from CMP called the Maine Power Reliability Program.

GridSolar officials say the solar panels would help stabilize energy supply and lower electric rates for residential customers. But officials from CMP, which is promoting the Power Reliability Program, say a transmission upgrade is the most reliable and economical option, according to the paper.

 

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