Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. X X I A U G U S TA / WAT E R V I L L E / C E N T R A L M A I N E N owadays, one doesn't have to drive far to find a solar project in Maine. at wasn't the case even a decade ago, when solar projects were almost entirely constrained to residential prop- erties. But that was before state lawmak- ers passed legislation in 2019 expanding net energy billing and updating Maine's renewable portfolio standard, increasing the amount of renewable power that had to be sold in the state. ose measures worked like jet fuel for Maine's solar industry, with the state seeing substantial annual jumps in its installed solar capacity. Net energy billing led to "an explo- sion of solar projects interconnecting to the distribution system," says Philip Bartlett, the chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, adding that many of the projects selected to fulfill the renewable portfolio standard mandate were solar projects, too. Totaling roughly 1,108 megawatts as of the first quarter, the Solar Energy Industries Association projects Maine will see 1,643 MW within the next five years. SEIA, the sector's national trade group, reports that total solar invest- ments in the state have hit $1.8 billion. Weighing the concerns But as solar development has risen in Maine, so too have concerns that many of the ground-mounted solar facilities are taking up agricultural land. It's a rising concern not just in Maine or the U.S. but around the world. A 2022 report from the American Farmland Trust found that if development patterns — including not just solar but low-density residential, commercial and industrial uses — across the state continued into 2040, "53,400 acres of Maine's farmland will be paved over, fragmented, or con- verted to uses that jeopardize agricul- ture," about half of which would be on "Maine's best land." To that end, state lawmakers passed a bipartisan law last year directing the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to come up with a per- mitting process for renewable energy projects that would be built on high- value agricultural land. L.D. 1881 also makes the agency determine how much compensation developers would owe the state for farmland conservation efforts if they do decide to build on such proper- ties, based on factors like its active farm- ing history, although the Department of Environmental Protection will calculate the actual fees. Under the rule as proposed, a state- licensed soil scientist would have to identify if high-value agricultural land is P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Evelyn Norton is co-owner of the 135-acre Southern Farm in Livermore Falls, where ReVision Energy leases about 20 acres of the farm for a solar array. F O C U S S E P T E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 2 4 20 FARMERS SUN look to the But with solar arrays adding to revenue, conservation becomes issue B y B r i d g e t R e e d M o r a w s k i

• Cover