PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 21, 2023
At Dirigo Solar, our mission is to lower the cost of power for Maine by building local solar. Through our work with area businesses and farms, we are able to co-locate solar power, meaning sharing fields with livestock and crops, and have developed enough energy to power about 22,000 homes. Dirigo and other solar developers are making significant investments in Maine’s renewable-energy infrastructure that will benefit Mainers for years to come, but we can’t do it alone. Our state must continue to pass legislation that allows for and builds out infrastructure for clean-energy programs, in which solar plays a critical role. L.D. 1986, An Act Relating to Net Energy Billing and Distributed Solar and Energy Storage Systems, will establish the Distributed Solar and Energy Storage Program to fund cost-effective solar facilities and systems in the state, utilizing federal funding to ensure that low- and moderate-income Mainers benefit directly from the program. ~ Bob Cleaves, co-founder, Dirigo Solar LLC, Portland