With a population approximately 3,000, The Town of Bowdoinham has chosen Nexamp to provide community solar that will lower its electric bills and enable it to support clean energy. Nexamp’s community solar farm in Madison, Maine, is a 5.3 MW facility featuring 10,000 solar panels capable of generating enough power for over 750 average homes. The town is subscribing to an allocation from the farm that covers the power used by five of its municipal buildings.
As a result of analyzing a few options for going solar, the Selectboard decided that subscribing to a local community solar farm is the best approach for Bowdoinham at this time. With no upfront costs, nothing to install, no long-term contracts, and no risk of being “upside-down” on energy credit purchases, the town will save up to 15% on its annual electricity costs and will be supporting the generation of solar energy for the local power grid.
Wendy Rose, Chairperson of the Community Development Advisory Committee said, “The Committee is
happy to see that Bowdoinham will be getting its electricity from a solar source. This is a critical moment
to be making this move and to be saving the town some money. Our hope is that in the future the Selectboard will explore installing a solar array in town for even greater benefit. It’s good to know that
signing up with Nexamp now will not prevent us from exploring other alternatives in the future.”
Residents, businesses, and non-profit organizations can subscribe to a share of community solar farms and receive bill credits that will reduce their electric bills. Because there is no fee to enroll and no long-term contract, subscribers can take advantage of the program with no risk.
“There are so many immediate and long-term benefits for towns that choose to participate in a
community solar program,” noted Eric Misbach, Director of Community Solar Program Management at
Nexamp. “Bowdoinham will realize measurable savings on its energy expenses, which is so important in
today’s world of rising costs and tightening budgets. But more than that, the town is taking a bold step
in supporting clean energy development—making it possible for others to more easily access the many
benefits of solar.”
Nexamp has several dozen community solar farms in operation or under construction across Maine and
many more across the country. The company, founded by two U.S. Army veterans, has been providing
comprehensive solar and energy storage solutions to consumers, businesses and municipalities for more
than a decade. With Maine committed to generating 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by
2030, community solar will play an important role for the state.
Tags: Community Solar, Nexamp
