FALMOUTH, ME – This morning, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Climate Action Task Force, joined with officials from the Maine Audubon Society at its headquarters in Falmouth to help unveil a new solar panel system that will help reduce energy costs, curb reliance on oil, and limit carbon emissions. The project is the largest array of solar panels installed by a conservation organization in the state.

“Investing in renewable energy sources, like these solar arrays, is investing in our future,” Senator King said. “This forward-looking, collaborative project is the kind of innovative thinking that will lead the way in reducing our dependence on oil, lowering energy bills, and combating climate change, and should be a model for other projects across Maine and across the country.”

“Climate change is the number one threat to wildlife and habitat in Maine. According to a recent report we released in collaboration with Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, 147 plant and wildlife species are vulnerable to changes in our environment,” said Charles Gauvin, Executive Director of Maine Audubon. “If we want wildlife and our communities to foster resistance and resilience to climate change, we cannot continue our heavy reliance on fossil fuels. Investing in solar is one way that Maine Audubon can contribute to the collective effort to reduce carbon emissions.”

The 42 kW solar installation at Maine Audubon in Falmouth  consists of six solar trackers – for a total of 144 panels – and a rooftop array of an additional 24 panels located on the Environmental Center. Together, they are expected to generate an average of 74,000 kWh of electricity per year, providing nearly 80 percent of the organization’s electricity.

The six solar trackers, which were manufactured by AllSun of Vermont, utilize GPS technology to track and follow the movement of the sun throughout the day and year, which is estimated to provide up to 40 percent more electricity than a fixed-array system. In the first six years of operation, the system is expected to offset 222 tons of carbon emissions or the equivalent of 238,453 pounds of burned coal.

Additionally, the installation is connected to the electricity grid and will feed back the excess energy when more is produced than the facility uses, which will result in Maine Audubon receiving credit – a phenomenon which Senator King spoke in favor of during an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing last week.

The installation is a result of a unique partnership between Maine Audubon, ReVision Energy and Moody’s Collision Centers. Revision Energy installed the solar system in early January. Moody’s Collision Centers paid for the equipment and installation of the project. The renewable energy project allows Moody’s to qualify for federal income tax incentives whereas, as a nonprofit, Maine Audubon does not qualify for the credits. As part of the power purchase agreement between the two organizations, Maine Audubon will buy electricity from Moody’s for the next six years. At the end of the six year period, Maine Audubon has the option to buy the solar installation. Moody’s will be able to recoup its costs through the electricity payments, federal tax credits and repayment cost of the system. 

Later today, Senator King will also join with officials at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm to officially launch its new solar array system, which will generate enough electricity to meet all of the nonprofit’s energy needs. Supported by private and public funding, including grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the system of four solar arrays – comprising 248 individual panels, three of which are on the roof and another on the ground – was built by ReVision Energy and completed two-years ahead of schedule. The array is expected to produce 73,000 kWH of electricity annual, which will offset an estimated 90,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. With the announcement, Wells Reserve will become the first nonprofit in Maine to operate solely on solar energy.

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