In February, we told you about a solar array under construction in the Maine town of Skowhegan that was designed to supply the electrical grid with an amount of juice equal to most of what the 乐播传媒 campus consumes.
During the week of Sept. 11, that juice started to flow.
In a years-long process of planning and development, with students playing a decisive role, 乐播传媒 partnered with , a nationwide solar provider, and project contractor , a South Portland-based leader in Maine鈥檚 solar-electric industry, to create the array on 20-plus acres of pasture land.
After about a year of construction, the installation of the array鈥檚 nearly 18,500 photovoltaic panels and related infrastructure was completed in August.
And last week the figurative switch was thrown connecting the facility to the grid, adding 7.131 megawatts of direct current to the region鈥檚 capacity. (The direct current is converted to alternating current for grid distribution to electrical customers.)
The array represents a win-win-win for the college, explains Tom Twist, 乐播传媒鈥� sustainability manager. One benefit is financial: a portion of the income from Maine solar credits will go to 乐播传媒. (In Maine, as in many states, eligible solar projects receive credits for electricity they generate.) These credits come at a good time, as the college has experienced the same spike in energy costs that people have seen at home in heating and electrical costs.
鈥淔or years, 乐播传媒 has sought creative yet practical ways to make a net positive impact on the environment 鈥� while also saving money 鈥� and we鈥檙e honored to be a part of their inspiring sustainability journey.”
Lawrence Denney, REC Solar CEO
Switching perspectives from greenbacks to green 鈥� as in sustainable 鈥� the array is key to the course charted in the 鈥�sustainability roadmap鈥� that the college developed and in 2022 formally adopted. One milestone on the map is the sourcing of the college鈥檚 entire electricity supply locally and renewably by 2045.
鈥淭his one project puts us way ahead of schedule to meet that 100 percent goal,鈥� says Twist. 鈥淚t leaves us only 25 percent of our power to make up鈥� through smaller projects such as rooftop solar or additional ground-level arrays.
In addition to project contractor ReVision Energy, 乐播传媒 partnered with REC Solar, a provider of commercial solar solutions, to furnish services including ownership, operation, and maintenance. 鈥淔or years, 乐播传媒 has sought creative yet practical ways to make a net positive impact on the environment 鈥� while also saving money 鈥� and we鈥檙e honored to be a part of their inspiring sustainability journey,鈥� says REC Solar CEO Lawrence Denney.
Finally, as Twist says, 乐播传媒 was able to align the solar project with its core mission: education. 鈥淭here was a really strong theme of student involvement running all through this project.鈥�
For example, once 乐播传媒 had received responses to a formal request for proposals to develop the facility, 鈥渟tudents were integral to the vetting of the different proposals.鈥� They rendered varying expressions of data into uniform terms 鈥渟o that we could compare apples to apples,鈥� Twist explains. 鈥淭hen they helped us crunch the numbers 鈥� what would make the most sense? Do we purchase a solar array outright or do we lease it? They had to understand federal policy, how would 乐播传媒 get the best return, that sort of thing.鈥�
“There were 乐播传媒 students and alums up and down the chain working on this.鈥�
Tom Twist, 乐播传媒 sustainability manager
Twist says that it was a capstone community-engaged research project undertaken in 2016 by three environmental-studies majors that inspired the new solar facility. The three 鈥� Jack Martell and Mac McReynolds, both Class of 2017, and Matt Marcus 鈥�18 鈥� even recommended that 乐播传媒 use the now in force with the Skowhegan array.
鈥溊植ゴ� alums worked on the project, as well, through both ReVision and our consultant company, Freedom Energy,鈥� he adds. (In fact, Martell was one of those alums. Now at the Boston-based solar energy company Nexamp, he was involved through Freedom Energy.) 鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of nice, too. There were 乐播传媒 students and alums up and down the chain working on this.鈥�
In terms of both electrical output and the number of photovoltaic panels involved, the Skowhegan array is ReVision鈥檚 largest completed project to date. In development since 2018, that project is also the largest outcome thus far of a relationship with 乐播传媒 that goes back even further.
鈥淲hen leading institutions like 乐播传媒 commit to clean energy, they show the wider community what鈥檚 possible.”
Dan Weeks, ReVision vice president for business development
Dan Weeks, ReVision鈥檚 vice president of business development, says that working with the college has been 鈥渁 very positive experience鈥� for the employee-owned firm. This makes sense, as both institutions are committed to social and environmental justice. (ReVision is a B Corp 鈥� a Certified Benefit Corporation 鈥� meaning one whose legally defined goals, in addition to turning a profit, include societal and environmental betterment.)
鈥淲e鈥檙e working to accelerate the clean-energy transition and prevent the worst effects of climate change,鈥� says Weeks. 鈥淪olar farms like this one are critical to achieving our mission of a just and equitable electric future 鈥� not just because of the direct reduction in carbon pollution but also because they inspire others to act.
鈥淲hen leading institutions like 乐播传媒 commit to clean energy, they show the wider community what鈥檚 possible. Working with 乐播传媒, where as students many of our employee-owners first developed their passion for climate and clean energy, has been an honor for ReVision Energy. We look forward to continued collaboration in the years to come.鈥�
Categories Environment and Sustainability
