Mainebiz

O N T H E R E C O R D W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 29 S E P T E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 B Y J A M E S M C C A R T H Y L ast October, ReVision Energy com- pleted the installation of Maine's first community solar farm at Sunnycroft Farm in Paris, with the help of a $40,000 grant from Efficiency Maine. Its second community solar project, completed this summer in Edgecomb, is designed to produce approximately 59,000 kilowatt- hours of energy per year and offset 27 tons of carbon annually. Other projects are under way in Freeport, Rockland, Wayne and Wiscasset. Nationally, the U.S. solar market posted a record year in 2014, grow- ing by 34% over 2013; Maine's solar capacity increased 43% for the same period. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association's second quar- ter report, solar installations posted 70% growth over the same period a year ago, bringing the total installed capacity in the U.S. to a record 22.7 gigawatts, enough to power 4.6 mil- lion American homes. Mainebiz caught up with Mueller at ReVision's Portland office and Jones (via a conference call) to get their perspective on these trends and what they might mean for Maine homeowners and businesses. An edited transcript follows. MB: What's driving the interest in 'community solar' projects here in Maine? Fortunat Mueller: Community solar farms are a natural outgrowth of the individual and commercial markets. When individuals and businesses have the motivation to do solar, but they don't have a good physical location for it at their site, historically there has been no good alternative for them. Community solar farms allow them to retain the benefit of owning a solar project, even if its location is remote from their physical site. It's something that's been growing in popularity in the country over the last several years, with a handful of states really leading the way. MB: If you have nine to 10 investors signing onto a community solar farm project, is the goal to install enough panels so that each investor's yearly electricity needs are fully met? FM: Yes. But I should clarify: ey are not so much 'investors' as they are 'owners.' at's an important distinc- tion, because in a lot of other states the 'community solar farm' model is more like an investment transaction. But in our projects, you're actually an owner of your fraction of the total project. You are a co-owner, so it's a true commu- nity ownership of the solar farm. Most of the members are sizing their shares to meet the majority or all of their electricity needs. But they don't have to: Just like if you put a solar system on your roof, you could choose to put one that does 30% of your load, or 90% of your load. MB: Sue, what's involved in getting a community solar farm project up and running? Sue Jones: After a site has been identified and a host is onboard, we market that site to potential members or owners of the array that will eventu- ally be put on that property. We have a number of folks in our database who have expressed interest in solar but, for whatever reason, they can't install it on their own property. It may be they have too much shade, or they don't have a strong enough roof, or don't want the panels on their roof because they're in a historic preservation district. ere are many reasons why people don't want to, or can't, put solar on their own property. In those particular cases, a com- munity solar farm is their next best option, because it allows them to own their power and their share of power generation for the life of the project, 40 to 50 years, which allows them to go forward with their goal of having green power. All of Your Staffing Needs in One Place Quality health care staffing to help you maintain excellent patient care. Call us today! 207-854-2422 directpersonnel.net 1-800-639-8802 mainestaff.com A corporate division of Maine Staffing Group P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Fortunat Mueller, co-founder of ReVision Energy, and Sue Jones, strategy and business development expert for ReVision, have completed two community solar farm projects in Maine and have at least four more in the planning stages. Fortunat Mueller, a co-founder and managing partner of ReVision Energy, and Sue Jones, director of community solar farms for ReVision Energy, are seeing a surge of interest in a new business model for solar energy ownership in Maine that enables up to 10 individuals to co-own a solar array and use its power to offset the electricity bill for their individual home or business.

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