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V O L . X X X I N O. I JA N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 2 5 12 E C O N O M I C F O R E C A S T F O C U S In all, that's over 3,500 units across 100 projects. "at's a massive pipeline," he says. Brennan predicts both state and federal funding for affordable housing will continue. "A primary driver for the housing that we're doing is the low-income hous- ing tax credit program," he says. "I've heard nothing of concern about that program. We've found that afford- able housing is a bipartisan issue." At the state level, "We've got an incredibly robust leadership coming into the state legislature and two more years of Gov. [ Janet] Mills," he says. "So, I'm super-positive about the support we'll have. We know the budget will be tougher. But we have a lot of support for affordable housing from those within our state gov- ernment and we're really looking forward to this next session of the legislature." H E AT P U M P S Marketplace for heat pumps will heat up B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r M aine is making headway in its electrifica- tion goals, with the big goal for 2025 being to facilitate the transition to heat pumps, says Michael Stoddard, executive director of Efficiency Maine. "For commercial buildings and homes, the past year has confirmed that the new generation of heat pumps are capable of heating and cooling a whole building, year-round," he says. "e best heat pumps are able to consistently deliver heat when it is minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and some can even keep delivering heat when it gets much lower than that." One implication of technological advancements is that, in most communities in Maine, heat pumps alone can get people through the winter. "A whole-home heat pump system enables you to turn off the old boiler and relegate it to an emer- gency backup," he says. To facilitate Mainers transitioning to whole- building heat pumps, Efficiency Maine modified its programs last year. Rebates for whole-home systems were increased up to $4,000 for most projects, and more for income-eligible homes, a strategy the trust intends to continue for the next three years. And budgets were increased for businesses, schools and municipalities converting to heat pumps. "e response has been terrific," he says. "We are projecting that Mainers will have installed nearly 10,000 new heat pump systems capable of heating the entire home in the year ending June 2025." e marketplace for heat pumps is hot. More than 700 installers are registered on Efficiency Maine's online listing for customers to choose from, nearly doubling the amount from a few years ago. Hundreds more are serving commercial customers. "ere are new manufacturers and many more models coming into the market, increasing the range of applications for which heat pumps can be used," he says. "For anyone who currently heats with oil, propane or kerosene that is looking to cut down on costs, add efficient AC and reduce their carbon foot- print, switching to heat pumps should be on your list of New Year's resolutions for 2025." S PAC E Interest in Maine's New Space industry will skyrocket B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r A ctivities underway to advance Maine's New Space industry include heightened interest from educa- tors and overtures from out-of-state companies. "At the national level, we believe there will be more support for building the space industry in the nation and certainly in Maine," says Terry Shehata, executive director of the Maine Space Corp., which was estab- lished by Gov. Janet Mills in 2022 to be an economic development tool for Maine's space-related ventures. e corporation is in exploratory meetings with several out-of-state companies interested in areas such as satellite and ground station devel- opment, building on the arrivals of global tech company Teledyne Technologies Inc. and Ukrainian small-rocket startup Promin Aerospace, both at Brunswick Landing. "We'll see more companies coming in on the manu- facturing side in the next two or three years," Shehata says. "We're setting the stage for them to meet folks here in the state and understand what business incen- tives packages are available for them." Pursuing development of a Maine Space Complex, the Maine Space Corp., partnering with Teledyne, is renovating space at Brunswick Landing to set up a facility for training busi- nesses, entrepreneurs and students on how to test and qualify products for space applications and pave the way to help them participate in the space industry supply chain and/or innovate their own products for space applications. e project received a Maine Technology Institute grant. e National Science Foundation recently advanced the corporation's application for funding a regional effort with New Hampshire to build region's space industry under the NSF Regional Innovation Engines Program. "Maine is not known for a space industry," says Shehata. "But my interpretation is that they saw the potential." C L I M AT E C H A N G E Climate-proofing Maine's working waterfront B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r T he state of Maine has been tackling climate change for decades. Maine is well-poised to continue that work, says Gayle Zydlewski, director of Maine Sea Grant College Program at the University of Maine. Most recently, Gov. Janet Mills's initiatives asso- ciated with the Maine Won't Wait Climate Action Plan boosted momentum toward action, particularly in building community-based resilience in the face of climate change, says Zydlewski. Maine Sea Grant's activities are also focused on resilient communities and economies, she says. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y E F F I C I E N C Y M A I N E P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y M A I N E S PA C E C O R P We are projecting that Mainers will have installed nearly 10,000 new heat pump systems capable of heating the entire home in the year ending June 2025. — Michael Stoddard Efficiency Maine » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Michael Stoddard of Efficiency Maine says the big goal for 2025 is to ease the transition to heat pumps. Terry Shehata, executive director of the Maine Space Corp., predicts more "new space" companies will come to Maine on the manufacturing side in the next two or three years. We'll see more companies coming in on the manufacturing side in the next two or three years. — Terry Shehata Maine Space Corp.

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