LIMESTONE, Maine — The town of Limestone and Maine School of Science and Mathematics are partnering on a solar purchase agreement that they expect will save both parties thousands of dollars on their annual electric bills.
The town has officially signed an agreement with The Power Company, based in the coastal town of Washington, to purchase two solar generation sites located on the Georgia Road behind the Loring Development Authority office. Both sites went online in 2013 but were owned by The Power Company, with the town of Limestone as a subscriber.
With the purchase, the town will sell a portion of the solar project to MSSM so that both entities see nearly full electric savings from the solar generation.
Unlike other solar farms located or being developed in Aroostook, the Limestone projects are not available for purchase by businesses nor can residents subscribe. But the purchase agreement marks the first time that the town and MSSM will benefit directly from solar energy production.
Chuck Kelley, chair of the Solar Project Committee, said that both the town and school could save on 95 percent of their bills, which amount to $38,000 and $28,000 per year, respectively.
One solar generation site consists of a fixed solar panel array that produces around 52,550 kilowatt hours per year. The second site is a solar tracker system that includes 30 trackers with 24 solar panels each. The panels follow the sun throughout each day and generate 300,807 kilowatt hours per year.
In 2018, Limestone Water and Sewer District, a quasi-municipal entity, partnered with ReVision Energy of New England to install more than 1,700 solar panels on a 3.5-acre region of the former Limestone Industrial Park. Energy generated from the panels has saved the district $20,000 in electric costs since then.
Limestone residents recently voted to allow the Solar Project Committee to spend no more than $475,000 on the latest solar project. That amount will go toward seven-year payments for the purchase agreement. The committee is looking at potential grant opportunities to cover some of the repayment costs.
Kelley sees the latest investment in solar as a crucial way to potentially reduce municipal expenses and save money for local taxpayers.
“Since it’s not a subscription-based project, we [and MSSM] will reap nearly 100 percent of the savings,” Kelley said. “It’s going to help us control the mill rate and possibly prevent a tax increase.”
MSSM Executive Director Sam Critchlow praised the partnership as a positive step forward in helping the town and school reduce costs and become more environmentally sustainable. He said that MSSM students will also benefit from taking part in research projects at the solar panel sites.
“This type of solar project is unique because you have a town and school banding together to say ‘We want more.’ We’ll actually own the project and that will give us things we could not get from just signing an agreement with a solar provider,” Critchlow said. “It’s a testament to the values of the town and school.”
