KENNEBEC JOURNAL • August 6, 2021
City councilors voted to ban development of any large solar energy projects anywhere in the city for the next 180 days. Councilors said constituents have contacted them with concerns both about the aesthetics of some recently-developed solar projects and with the proliferation of them. Projects have increased in number statewide after changes to state law encouraged their development. Robert Cleaves, co-founder and principal investor of Portland-based Dirigo Solar, said the firm is willing to work with the city to address additional measures it could take at its sites to address Augusta’s concerns.