Massive solar farm proposal alarms a tiny Aroostook town

2 weeks ago

PATTEN, Maine — A solar developer faced community blowback during an informational session this week on a proposed 5,000-acre solar farm in the tiny northern Maine town of Hersey. 

“Just tell me now if this is something you want,” said Next Phase Energy Services President Dave Fowler during the meeting with Hersey residents. 

They responded that they don’t want the project, which could potentially become the state’s largest utility-scale solar project both by acreage and power generation. However, its energy output would depend on how much capacity there would be to carry that power away from the farm, which is uncertain right now. 

Fowler, along with Next Phase Vice President Lucy Moen, engineer Kirk Ball and Hersey Town Attorney Jon Pottle, shared information and community benefit scenarios for the proposed project to about 35 residents — nearly half the town — during a meeting in Patten.

The so-called Timberland Solar Project would be located off Route 11. 

According to Fowler, the project could range from 100 to 1,000 megawatts, depending on the transmission capacity, making it one of the largest solar projects in the state — if not the largest. 

There are currently about 103 utility-scale solar farms in Maine. The largest, Boston-based Longroad Energy’s 931-acre Three Corners Solar in northern Kennebec County, powers about 31,000 homes with about 152-megawatt capacity. 

Casco-based Next Phase Energy Services provides expertise in renewable development for companies exploring projects in the state. The developers previously hosted a meeting in Hersey in September, but only a handful of people attended, said Moen, adding that they will keep meeting with the community to try and develop a good working relationship. 

“We want your input,” Fowler said.

Fowler and Moen explained that while they have 7,700 leased acres, the project is in its early stages and all their parcel, boundary and developable area data is based on desktop research.

“There are no ground surveys yet,” she said. 

Early in Thursday night’s presentation, residents asked questions relating to benefits to the community, land setbacks, wildlife, land and water safety, insurance and fire risk. 

According to the developers, they would like to work with the town to develop a community benefits agreement that would address issues such as setbacks, financial reimbursement to the town, assistance with the purchase of firefighting equipment and training.

Based on previous community benefit agreements, the town could reap between $50,000 and $500,000 annually with a payment of $500 per megawatt, Moen said.

Several residents said $50,000 was not nearly enough to cover what they worried would be an increased need for firefighting. Others talked about not seeing anything in the plan to protect water resources, wildlife habitat and their homes from a forest fire sparked by a solar panel.

Fowler said that while rare, they do happen. He noted a farm of the size they are proposing does not use batteries, which can play more of a role in sparking fires.

In October, there was a brush fire outside the fenced-in section of Pure Sky Energy’s 38-acre White River Solar Farm in Rensselaer County, New York. According to news reports, 15 fire departments and 80 firefighters responded to the scene. There were no reported injuries and the fire was contained. 

Additionally, Next Phase will work with local firefighters and provide training and, in some cases, equipment. 

A big unknown at this time is what transmission would be available for the project.

The Timberland Solar project cannot operate without new transmission lines that are slated to be built in northern Maine, but that were stalled in late 2023 after the Maine Public Utilities Commission couldn’t reconcile cost and transmission route differences with provider LS Power. 

Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson spearheaded renewable energy legislation in 2021 for the so-called Aroostook Renewable Gateway project that would for the first time link The County with the ISO New England energy grid that covers Maine and five other states.

The gateway is key to helping Maine reach its 80 percent renewable energy goal by 2030. 

New York-headquartered LS Power was awarded the transmission portion of the gateway project. Boston-based Longroad Energy’s King Pine Wind project was selected to generate the power with wind turbines located in Aroostook County. 

In early 2024, the PUC put out a request for information regarding a new transmission utility for the project, according to commission spokesperson Susan Faloon.

Fowler said that Timberland would have to bid on access to the new lines.