Nexamp, a community solar energy company, has four solar energy farms in the works in Eastport, Pembroke, Lubec and Cutler, with the Cutler and Pembroke projects expected to be online in early to mid 2024. The Eastport and Lubec projects are still awaiting the results of Versant Power's cluster studies, which should be completed in about nine months, explains Henry Barrett, the Nexamp business development manager for New England. Versant's cluster studies examine transmission systems and the capacity of the power grid to take on additional energy as required by ISO-New England.
      The Eastport project was started in 2021 for the Eastport Municipal Airport. Nexamp is working on finding the best location given the site's wetlands, runways and Federal Aviation Administration requirements. The project would be about 2.7 megawatts on about 10 acres and would power roughly 450-500 average single-family homes.
      Lubec's project is similar in timeline to Eastport's, says Barrett. The site is on a town property that used to be an old gravel pit near the Lubec Municipal Airport, he adds. It, too, would be a 2.7-megawatts size on about 10 acres.
      Jenn Delaney, Nexamp vice president, channel operations, says that Cutler and Pembroke are a different story and much closer to being online. Both projects were a partnership with Loki Solar, a small solar company based in Kittery that developed the properties for solar farm use, including the procurement of all permitting. In December of 2021 Nexamp acquired the Cutler property from Loki and started construction in December 2022. The Cutler Road property is a 2.5-megawatt project expected to serve about 255 customers. The Pembroke property off of Route 1 was acquired from Loki in July 2021, with construction starting in December 2022, and is expected to be 4.3 megawatts. Nexamp is using Sargent Corporation out of Old Town for both projects.
      "The nice thing about community solar is that anyone can subscribe in the service area," says Nexamp Communications Manager Keith Hevenor. "And it adds more clean energy to the grid." Maine is an important market for Nexamp, he explains, with many projects being developed in the state "to help the state with decarbonization goals ... and to help Mainers save on electricity costs." Mainers who subscribe receive a 15% fixed discount on the supply-side of their electric utility. The credit is available for the life of the project, which is expected to last from 20-25 years, at minimum.
      Enrollment can occur before the solar farm is up and running, Hevenor says. Each solar farm has a maximum number of customers that it can enroll. People who want to sign-up in advance can do so, with the understanding that there will likely be a waiting period before the change-over happens. Nexamp handles the change-over. "We submit a list of subscribers to Versant," says Hevenor. "We handle that with the utility. The customer doesn't have to notify Versant." There are no enrollment fees, and a customer can cancel their Nexamp solar supply for electricity at any time.
      Hevenor stresses that customers need to understand that the solar energy does not go directly to their house. The energy goes into the power grid, just like any other grid-connected power source. For more information visit https://solar.nexamp.com .