CARIBOU, Maine — With vast tracts of open land and rural communities struggling to meet rising electricity costs, developers see Aroostok County as a prime destination for a solar panel site.
Versant Power is studying 60 proposed solar projects for potential impacts to its grid area, which includes Aroostok and northern Penobscot and Washington counties.
This arrangement comes at a time when legislators and residents across Maine are realizing their potential impact on the power grid and wondering how much electricity savings they will generate.
There are nearly 8,000 solar installations throughout Maine, with the majority on residential rooftops. The installation produces 420 megawatts of power, according to statewide data.
Even though Aroostook only owns 1 percent and produces only 8.75 megawatts of power, the city government is quick to use solar panels as a potential cost saver for commercial businesses and residents.
Aroostok’s solar power is fed to the New Brunswick Electric Grid via the Versant Maine General District, not to the New England Grid. The Maine General District to the north and the Bangor Hydroelectric District to the south, which comprise the Multipurpose Power Station in Maine, are not connected, so the electricity generated in Aroostok cannot flow to Bangor, despite recent legislation allowing to connect the two regions.
Aroostok city officials, who said they have a strong relationship with the solar power company, were impressed by their commitment to being good land managers.
As of this year, Caribou only had solar panels on private property, including a 25-acre installation owned and maintained by the Caribou Utilities District, and smaller solar panels on a local farm and senior apartment complex.
The city now has a 20-acre solar farm that provides energy credits to seven commercial customers in and around Caribou and is the first Versant Power has assisted in its development. Three other companies – one international and two based in the United States – are nearly building solar arrays of varying sizes across Caribou, a city more than 80 miles long.
The Caribou Planning Agency recently approved six solar garden units that will stand on 3.5 hectares of land near Van Buren Street. The 0.70 megawatt panel will rotate with the sun and stand 35 feet tall.
Novel Energy Solutions based in St. Paul, Minnesota, which developed the park, is building a dozen other installations in Fort Fairfield, Westfield, Ashland, Limestone, Frenchville, Madawaska, Mapleton, and Patten.
Novel’s solar installations range from five to 40 acres, according to sales manager Connor McCarthy. Given the open land of Aroostook, he said the company sees the potential to develop about 40 more projects in the next three years.
Founded by a sixth-generation livestock farmer, Novel recently branched out to Maine because of his interest in working with farmers and conserving rather than tying up farmland, McCarthy said.
Novel’s willingness to cooperate with Maine’s environmental regulations and build the panels aligned with the ground was the reason why the Caribou Planning Agency approved the proposal, said Caribou Code Enforcement Officer Ken Murchison.
With Aroostook famous for its beautiful open field views, residents will have reason to worry about solar panels blocking the landscape, Murchison said. But so far only a few residents have voiced it. They later called it off after realizing that their properties weren’t as close to solar panels as they had thought.
It’s also good news for the area near the Aroostook River, which city officials are looking to redevelop for commercial and residential use. Murchison said that while preparing to build a 25-acre solar farm near the river, ENGIE, an international company headquartered in Houston, chose a location that did not interfere with riverside views.
Solar developers more familiar with the municipality of Aroostok are building a similar project while touting what they see as significant savings for electricity customers.
During a March city council meeting, Shawn Pelletier, a co-investor with Caribou Solar Power and Nordic Sun Energy, said that in all the two groups have a dozen projects under development in Aroostok targeting commercial customers. Two on Presque Isle and one on Mapleton are scheduled for construction this summer.
Like Novel, Caribou Solar and Nordic say customers save about 10 to 15 percent on their monthly electricity bill, which comes from solar energy credits based on how many projects are included in their subscription. The company asks potential customers to sign up months before the project goes online.
But although Pelletier is encouraging city officials to act quickly to subscribe to solar projects, he advises residential customers to be more careful. He used the example of his father signing up as a solar farm customer, only to learn that the project was being built in southern Maine, off the local power grid.
“I would encourage everyone to register, but I would ask questions like ‘When will [the project] be built?’ and ‘Where’s your solar field?’” said Pelletier. “Make sure it’s a real project. Because if you sign up, the real project will be developed and you will be left behind.”
Maine Attorney General Bill Harwood has similar advice for residential customers.
Even if developers have legitimate projects in the works, they may not take into account how much electricity customers are used to, he said.
“Whenever I hear a developer say ‘guaranteed savings of 15 percent’, the word ‘guaranteed’ makes me nervous,” says Harwood. “I always use the example of ‘retired golfer’ living in Florida every winter. If credit [solar energy] hers is more than she used for her Maine house, the credit is useless.”
Reporter David DiMinno contributed to this report.
Versant Power accepts payments through Western Union Quick Collect and Convenience Pay locations. Western Union has locations in a number of Walgreens and Rite Aid stores. You can also visit location.westernunion.com to find a Western Union location near you.
Who owns Central Maine Power?
When did Iberdrola buy Central Maine Power? Central Maine Power has been operating in Maine since 1898. This may interest you : Major firms urge Japan to bolster 2030 renewables goal. The company was acquired by Iberdrola in 2008, which is the world’s fifth largest utility by market value, and the largest wind energy company in the world.
Is Central Maine Power publicly traded?
That year CMP shares were publicly traded and held for the first time. In 1950 CMP installed a gas turbine – one of the first to be used in the United States – at its Farmingdale plant. To see also : San diego solar and roofing. It was also the first year that CMP charted an output of one billion kilowatt hours.
Who is AVANGRID owned by?
AVANGRID is part of the IBERDROLA Group. IBERDROLA, S.A. is an energy pioneer with one of the largest renewable asset bases of any company in the world.
Is Avangrid an American company?
Avangrid, Inc. is a diversified energy and utility company based in the US that provides clean energy. The Company owns and operates a power generation and natural gas storage utility.
Who bought Avangrid?
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Parent | Iberdrola owns part of Avangrid |
How much of Avangrid does Iberdrola own?
Avangrid, Inc. 81.50% owned by Iberdrola, S.A.
Who is Central Maine Power owned by?
About CMP: Central Maine Power Company (CMP), a subsidiary of AVAGRID, Inc., is Maine’s largest power transmission and distribution utility. Founded in 1899, CMP operates approximately 23,500 miles of distribution lines and 2,900 miles of transmission lines.
Is Central Maine Power a monopoly?
The state of Maine granted Central Maine Power and Versant a monopoly in exchange for reliability, affordability, and availability. Maine has a constitutional right to place those assets in different hands.
Is Emera Maine the same as Versant Power?
Emera Maine is now Versant Power. The changes were officially announced to the public Thursday morning. This was after the sale of the electric utility company was finalized. Company officials say that when they switch to the new name, customers will still be able to pay bills and connect with customer service in the same way as before.
Who bought Versant’s power? Versant Power was acquired by ENMAX for $959 million on March 24, 2020.
When did Emera become Versant?
| Versant’s Power by Numbers | |
|---|---|
| Service Area | 10,400 square miles |
| Primary Distribution Channel | 6,090 miles |
Who bought Emera Maine?
The name change came after ENMAX Corp. of Calgary, Alberta, completed a $959 million transaction to acquire utilities from its parent company, Nova Scotia-based Emera, in March.
Did Versant buy Emera?
The power utility, which serves northern and eastern Maine, was purchased in March by Enmax Corp., a western Canadian utility.
Who owns Emera Inc?
In 2020, Maine’s Emera was sold to another Canadian utility, ENMAX of Calgary, Alberta. Under ENMAX, the former Emera Maine region is now traded as Versant Power.
Who bought Emera Maine?
The name change came after ENMAX Corp. of Calgary, Alberta, completed a $959 million transaction to acquire utilities from its parent company, Nova Scotia-based Emera, in March.
Did Versant buy Emera?
The power utility, which serves northern and eastern Maine, was purchased in March by Enmax Corp., a western Canadian utility.
Who bought Emera?
ENMAX Corporation (ENMAX) today announced that a transaction to purchase Emera Maine for $1,286 million CAD ($959 million USD) from Emera Inc. (TSX:EMA) has closed successfully. Including assumed debt, the aggregate firm value was $1.3 billion USD at closing.
What was Versant power before?
Versant Power, formerly known as Emera Maine, is committed to providing safe and reliable electrical services.
How many power outages are there in Maine right now?
| area | Total Customers by District | Powerless Customers |
|---|---|---|
| Cummberland | 172,730 | 50 |
| OXFORD | 42.047 | 2 |
| Total | 663,683 | 52 |
Are power outages common in Maine? The state never recorded more than five per year until 2018, but in 2020 there were 12, the AP analysis found. Like most of the country, Maine’s electrical infrastructure was built decades ago and parts are more than 50 years old, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
What states have the most power outages?
Michigan. Michigan’s most interesting fact about its blackouts is probably that it has the highest blackouts per capita than any other state. Weather-related outages caused 56 of the 155 outages in 2017. Faulty equipment ranks second with 36 outages caused.
Where do most power outages occur?
California experienced 25,281 power outages in 2019 (the last ‘normal’ pre-pandemic year), which is a 23% increase from 20,598 the previous year. This is the most of any state in the country, with more than double the number of Texas, the next highest state.
What city in the U.S. has the most power outages?
Washington, D.C., has the least frequent blackouts averaging only 0.7 per year. Florida is home to the longest blackouts in the nation, averaging 14.6 hours of downtime per customer each year. Maine is behind with 14.1 hours per year.
What states have the most reliable power grid?
(The Center Square) – Arizona and Nevada top the list of states with the most reliable electric utilities, according to a report from the Citizens Utility Board. Arizona has a strong performance in the overall rankings.
How many people in Portland have no power?
In total, more than 17,000 PGE customers have been affected. Crews were dispatched to several areas throughout the Portland metro area and beyond. To check the outage, its cause, and the estimated time to power recovery, visit the PGE outage map.
How long will PGE turn off power?
Rolling blackouts usually last one to two hours.
Does South Portland have power?
South Portland, Maine Central Maine Power Company, is a Utility Company that provides services to 25,400 residents in the area and with coverage that includes zip code 4106.04116 onwards.
What caused power outage in Portland?
The outage was caused by yesterday’s ice storm, which caused thousands of power lines to break and transformer explosions. Thousands of Portlanders were without electricity yesterday. But conditions deteriorated drastically in the early hours of Monday morning.
Where does Versant Power get its electricity?
Versant Power’s main source of GHG emissions is the combustion of gas and diesel from its mobile fleet. The company’s fleet includes 140 small class vehicles and about 120 medium and heavy vehicles.
How many customers does Versant Power have? Versant Power is committed to providing safe and reliable electrical service. As the second-largest electric utility in the state, the company delivers electricity to more than 159,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 10,400 square miles in five counties in eastern and northern Maine.
Where does the electric company get their power?
Most electricity is generated by steam turbines using fossil fuels, nuclear, biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal energy. Other major power generation technologies include gas turbines, water turbines, wind turbines, and solar photovoltaics.
Where do we get our electric power from?
According to the US Energy Information Administration, most of the nation’s electricity was generated by natural gas, nuclear energy, and coal in 2020. Electricity is also generated from renewable sources such as wind, hydropower, solar power, biomass, wind, and geothermal.
Who controls the electrical grid in the United States?
North American Electrical Reliability Company NERC oversees eight regional reliability entities and covers all interconnected power systems in the United States, Canada, and parts of Baja California in Mexico.
Where does Versant Power come from?
We are owned by ENMAX Corp., a full-service energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, which has committed major investments in Maine to ensure safe and reliable electricity delivery and reduced rates for Versant Power customers.
What was Versant Power before?
Versant Power, formerly known as Emera Maine, is committed to providing safe and reliable electrical services.