The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Phil Coupe is a co-founder of ReVision Energy.
Recent concerns about rising utility bills overlook and misconstrue the proven benefits solar policies deliver to Maine’s economy and environment. Multiple independent studies of Maine’s solar net metering policy have found that the benefits of solar to ratepayers significantly outweigh the costs, while increasing the Dirigo State’s energy independence and resilience.
Maine’s renewable energy industry contributed more than $2.3 billion, or almost 3 percent, of Maine’s total Gross State Product in 2022. With more than 15,000 workers statewide, our clean energy industry is a significant job creator, and we have the fastest-growing clean energy economy — as measured by new job creation — of any New England state.
It’s important to note that Mainers export $4 billion per year from the local economy to import expensive, finite, single-use fossil fuels from away. Every time we invest in a locally built renewable energy project, we keep our energy dollars in the Maine economy, creating long-term energy independence and resilience to the negative impacts of a rapidly changing climate and worsening storms.
As a Maine-based company, ReVision Energy has firsthand experience with how solar energy positively impacts our economy and local communities. Since its start in Liberty in 2003, ReVision has grown into a 100 percent employee-owned solar company with nearly 300 Maine co-owners providing clean energy solutions to local homeowners, schools, municipalities, and businesses. These jobs not only include installers of solar arrays, heat pumps, battery storage and electric vehicle charging stations, but also engineers, project developers, and roles in service, IT, finance, marketing and sales.
The renewable energy sector’s growth throughout the state has also created work for Maine-based subcontractors, electricians, and equipment suppliers from Kittery to Caribou. We hear a lot about the solar industry being entirely out-of-state, but the truth is that many of us live, work, play, raise families and add to the economy right here; we are your neighbors.
Our state’s investment in solar energy not only helps ensure that our children and our grandchildren can enjoy the same clean air and water that we value today, but it also saves money immediately and over time by allowing homeowners and businesses to lock in predictable energy costs. There is no question that some Maine businesses are facing rising energy bills due to multiple factors including complex national and global fossil fuel market forces. The responsible approach should be to seek collaborative solutions rather than pointing fingers at solar energy. ReVision and our colleagues in the renewable energy industry, like the Maine Renewable Energy Association, are doing that work before the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) right now.
Twice now the PUC has commissioned studies on the costs and benefits of solar to Mainers and both studies clearly show that the benefits of solar, including reduced energy costs, outweigh the costs.
Maine’s rising electric bills are not caused by clean energy. To the contrary, solar, wind and hydro power act as a reprieve to the rising cost of fossil fuel energy, while delivering significant economic stimulus to Maine and protecting the environment. Energy storage solutions are also poised to positively impact our local economy with the announcement that the largest battery in the world will be built at the former location of a paper mill in Lincoln.
Let’s not risk the progress we’ve made by singling out a critical sector that provides good-paying jobs and long-term savings for Maine families and businesses. Instead, we should work together to ensure that energy policies remain equitable and effective for all Mainers. By protecting and improving solar energy programs, we ensure a more prosperous and sustainable future for our state.
