Solar vitality offered all of the electrical energy wanted to energy a service space of greater than 11,000 prospects in northern Maine for a couple of hours in early May, marking the primary time the massive, sparsely populated area that depends on a Canadian grid for its electrical energy.
Unlike different areas of the state which can be related to the New England electrical energy grid, the Fort Kent space in northernmost Maine is related to the New Brunswick Power Corp. The dominant traits of the area are “electrical isolation, giant geographic dimension, small electrical demand and modest inhabitants. ,” mentioned a May 2023 imaginative and prescient by the Northern Maine Independent System Administrator, which operates the northern Maine transmission system and electrical energy markets in Aroostook and Washington counties.
The mixed inhabitants of Aroostook and Washington counties can be lower than 99,000 in 2022.
Northern Maine is exclusive, the view says, as a result of most of its era comes from renewable sources. Solar accounts for barely lower than 10% of the area’s 109-megawatt capability, with the bulk coming from wind and hydropower, based on the impartial system administrator.
Versant Power, the area’s electrical energy provider, says that since 2020, it has labored with builders to attach greater than 140 megawatts of photo voltaic vitality to the grid and processed greater than 1,780 functions to attach renewable energies generator within the distribution grid of the identical 4. -season yr. It has labored with the homeowners of greater than 400 initiatives to combine 382 MW of renewable vitality in northern and jap Maine, which is greater than the full demand for electrical energy within the area.
Versant mentioned it expects comparable vitality situations within the Fort Kent space on sunny days within the spring and fall when situations are optimum for photo voltaic vitality manufacturing and gentle temperatures decrease electrical energy demand. .
The potential to depend on daylight for energy – even for a couple of hours – is partly the results of a decentralization of energy era that enables small producers to feed electrical energy into the grid.
“Repurposing our grid, which was initially constructed for one-way energy supply, just isn’t a simple activity in a rural state with numerous wants,” mentioned Versant President John Flynn.
In distinction to the unique, one-way financial mannequin of the electrical grid – sending energy from the utility to its prospects – decentralized types of vitality manufacturing, referred to as “distributed era,” more and more generate energy that’s despatched to a utility, which in flip. gives electrical energy to its prospects.
“I believe it is an amazing day for the state of Maine to generate its personal electrical energy and never need to exit of state,” mentioned Bob Cleaves, co-founder and principal investor of Dirigo Solar, which gives energy to Versant. .
The Portland-based photo voltaic developer has three initiatives in growth in Limestone, Masardis and Sherman, Cleaves mentioned. Starting in 2015, Dirigo has invested $150 million in Maine and is working seven photo voltaic initiatives, he mentioned, creating greater than 100 MW of photo voltaic that’s cheaper for Versant prospects than the state’s customary providing. , which is the default provide.
Dirigo sells its energy to Versant for 3.5 cents per kilowatt hour, and prospects pay 7 cents – lower than the 11.3-cent per kWh customary supply.
Cleaves credited Maine’s 2019 legislation for increasing solar energy within the state by increasing incentives in a coverage referred to as internet vitality billing. The incentives have drawn robust curiosity from photo voltaic builders whereas being criticized for being too beneficiant at a price to the electrical energy ratepayers who subsidize this system.
“As a outcome, there can be, till 2019, little or no home-grown,” Cleaves mentioned, referring to electrical energy consumption.
The enlargement of neighborhood photo voltaic initiatives — referred to as photo voltaic farms that function an alternative choice to rooftop photo voltaic that is not appropriate for sparsely populated areas — has allowed Aroostook County to generate its personal energy, he mentioned. The variety of photo voltaic farms in Aroostook County now exceeds the electrical energy load, promising to supply extra 100% solar energy, he mentioned.
“You’re going to see extra of those occasions,” Cleaves mentioned.
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