MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 21, 2023
Finally, a public advocate willing to speak out against solar programs that are fueling large electric rate increases in Maine. The solar industry, which has been heavily subsidized in Maine since its inception, doesn’t like it. The Legislature has squarely placed the risk of solar on the backs of ratepayers. Aside from the direct costs of solar, we have only just begun to see the indirect costs of integrating and operating solar on the grid. Every bit of solar requires a standby generator or battery to back it up. Maine has no plan to integrate wind and solar into the grid and no plan to deal with the electrification of heating and transportation. To continue to move forward with legislation that incentivizes and subsidizes these resources is irresponsible at best and negligent at worst. ~ Gerry Chasse, past president, Emera Maine