Standard Solar and Acadia Energy announced plans to develop a 7.5 MW solar farm on the western side of the former ReEnergy biomass plant site in the town of Fort Fairfield, Maine.
The solar farm will lease land from Smith’s Farm, Inc and land previously used for a biomass power facility owned by New York-based ReEnergy Biomass Operations, which transferred the 32-acre site to the town in 2018 after concluding that the plant was no longer economically viable.
“The Fort Fairfield project will transform the least desirable area of the former industrial site into a clean energy producer that benefits the community while creating additional lots for the Town to lease or sell,” said Eric Partyka, director of business development for Standard Solar.
The fixed-tilt ground-mount system is projected to generate 9,112 MWh in its first year of operation, with about 10% of the power going to Smith’s Farm, and the benefitting other commercial and industrial organizations throughout Aroostook County.
“Former industrial sites are ideal for solar energy development,” said Glenn Walker of Acadia Energy. “Our partnership with Standard Solar on the Fort Fairfield project will provide a model that can be followed throughout Maine and around the U.S., showing how to successfully transition industrial sites with limited potential into a solar farm that will save money for local businesses and benefit the environment.”
Construction on the project is expected to begin in May, with completion targeted for the fourth quarter of this year.
Standard Solar currently owns and operates more than 250 MW of solar across the United States, of which 50 MW are in Maine. Recently Standard Solar acquired a 7 MW community solar project in Trenton, Maine, which is the state’s first large-scale community solar installation.
Acadia Energy, based in Rye, New Hampshire, is solar developer with a pipeline of over 300 MW of solar across the United States, and over 20 MW of solar under construction (or in various stages of development) in Maine.
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