Costly Strain on New England Utility Grid Usually Peaks Around First Week of August News release Portland, ME – An updated analysis of the “value of solar” power in Maine shows that solar installations within the state cut electricity prices for everyone in Maine who pays an electric bill, by reducing peak demand on the Read More
renewable energy
Maine PUC Could Decide Fate of Solar in Maine
by Andy O’Brien Free Press news story When fourth generation mill worker Sadie Ferreira heard the news that Verso’s Bucksport paper mill would be shutting down at the end of 2014, she was devastated. “I was really upset by it because so many of my family members still worked there,” said the 35-year-old Bucksport native. Read More
Carbon Capture and Sequestration the Old Fashioned Way
This week the mainstream media and many of the social media outlets have hailed the experiment in Iceland that has demonstrated the ability to capture CO2 from the air and turn it into rock. The Guardian proclaimed “CO2 turned into stone in Iceland in climate change breakthrough” and the journal Science headlined “Inject baby, inject!”. Read More
Solar Energy Bill Extinguished by Lobbying Based on False, Misleading Information
Behind closed doors and in debate, Republican Minority Leader Ken Fredette let the attack on the most significant solar energy measure Maine has ever seen. By Sam Zuckerman, owner, Maine Solar Solutions in Portland Portland Press Herald op-ed April 29th was a dark day for solar energy in Maine. It was the day that an Read More
The Six Republican ‘Walkers’ Who Killed Maine’s Solar Bill
By Rep. Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, is the House majority leader Bangor Daily News op-ed This legislative session, we could have passed a historic solar bill into law. But too many House Republicans caved in to their leaders and the governor, throwing away that opportunity and all the jobs that would have come with it. LD Read More
South Portland Considers Zoning Changes to Promote, Regulate Solar Arrays
If the City Council approves the amendments, the city will become a model for other Maine communities and join a growing number of U.S. cities that have taken similar steps. By Kelley Bouchard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — City planning officials have proposed sweeping zoning changes that would both promote Read More
Opportunity Lost as GOP Thwarts Job-creating Solar Energy Bill
By Sen. Dawn Hill Seacoast Online news story It’s not every day that Maine has an opportunity to take the lead in a growing industry, create and sustain jobs for its people, lower energy costs and fight climate change. We seized that opportunity in 2008, when the Legislature passed changes to the Wind Energy Act Read More
Lawmakers Uphold LePage Veto, Killing Bill to Boost Solar Energy
Two votes in the House and a determined lobbying effort by supporters fail to generate enough support to pass the measure. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — House lawmakers upheld Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a closely watched solar energy bill Friday in a blow to supporters who argued Read More
Solar Bill Offers Right Answers for Maine
The arguments against a modernization of the state’s clean energy market do not pass the test. Portland Press Herald editorial It’s easy to tear apart a complicated piece of legislation by latching onto a few details and blowing them out of proportion. But lawmakers who are considering voting to sustain Gov. LePage’s veto of L.D. Read More