Category: Renewable Energy
Verrill Helps State’s Largest Solar Project Obtain Principal Environmental Permit
The 100-megawatt Three Rivers Solar Project in Hancock County, Maine has obtained its combined Site Law and Natural Resources Protection Act permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Three Rivers Solar will become the largest solar project in the state, twice the size of the next largest facility...
Maine PUC Issues Distributed Solar Procurement Announcement
The Maine PUC, in partnership with its consultant Enel X, has issued a procurement announcement for the first block of distributed generation under Maine’s distributed generation law passed last summer . The procurement is open to projects of 5 MW AC or less. In total, the Maine PUC may...
Maine Solar Boom: Over 1.5GW of Distributed Solar Capacity in the Queue
According to the latest interconnection queues for distributed generation projects published by Maine’s two investor-owned utilities, CMP and Emera Maine , more than 1.5GW of solar capacity is currently proposed for interconnection to Maine’s electric grid. Almost all of the projects are less than 5MW in size, the capacity...
Recent Maine Legislation Bolsters Solar, Distributed Generation
This past legislative session in Maine saw a flurry of renewable energy legislation, including two laws reforming and expanding the net energy billing (NEB) program. This blog briefly charts these two developments in the NEB program. P.L. 2019, ch. 16 (LD 91) ends annual, step-down of kWh credits for...
Maine Public Utilities Commission Approves Weaver Wind Power Contract
On July 12, 2019, the Maine Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved a long-term contract for the purchase of power from Weaver Wind, a 72.6 MW wind power project in Hancock County Maine. The expected commercial operational date for Weaver is no later than December 2020. Chairman Philip Bartlett remarked...
Maine to Participate in Discussions on Amending Federal Regulations to Boost Offshore Wind
April 9, 2019 – The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the Trump Administration's plans to propose "a series of regulatory changes later this year to boost offshore wind develop off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts." These changes could provide more welcome news to offshore wind developers on the...
MPUC Approves Term Sheet for Three Rivers Solar Power, LLC’s 100 MW Solar Project
Today, the Maine Public Utilities Commission approved a term sheet for a long-term contract for Three Rivers Solar Power, LLC's 100 MW solar project. The Three Rivers Solar project will be located in Hancock County, Maine. It is a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic project, with an expected commercial operations date...
U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Review Zero Emissions Credit Schemes
In two related cases, Petitioners are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down state generator subsidies that Petitioners argue distort competitive wholesale power markets that are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) under the Federal Power Act (FPA). Both cases concern "zero emission...
Governor Mills Lifts Wind Power Moratorium
On Thursday, Governor Mills issued an Executive Order lifting a moratorium on new wind energy permits. Former Governor Paul LePage issued the moratorium in January 2018 and created a Maine Wind Energy Advisory Commission to study the economic impact of wind turbines on tourism and local communities. Controversy surrounded...
Net-metering News from Maine and California
On December 17, 2018, the Maine PUC exempted medium and large non-residential customer classes of CMP and Emera from compliance with the Commission's net energy billing provisions in Chapter 313, section 3(f), which require measurement of a customer's production of "nettable energy." The Commission enacted, effective for facilities in...
Maine Wind Energy Update
Ten years ago, Maine's Task Force on Wind Energy set ambitious goals for wind development in the State, including a 2015 target of 1,000 MW and a 2020 target of 3,000 MW (including 300 MW offshore) of installed capacity. Today, Maine has less than 1,000 MW of installed capacity...
Maine Department of Environmental Protection Issues Draft Wind Energy Act Rules
After more than a year of pre-rulemaking process including the issuance of two drafts, the Maine DEP has commenced formal rulemaking and today issued draft rules for wind energy developments in Maine. The formal draft largely tracks the most recent pre-rulemaking version issued in January 2017. The draft rules...
The Future of the Kennebunk Dams
On Thursday July 20 th , the Board of Selectmen for the Town of Kennebunk held a workshop to gather information regarding the Town's potential role in the future of three dams along the Mousam River in Kennebunk, Maine. The Board workshop was centered around a presentation prepared by...
“Untethered” Clean Energy Subsidies Survive Post-Hughes Preemption Challenges
Last year in Hughes v. Talen , the Supreme Court struck down a Maryland generator subsidy program, concluding that it had a direct impact on the wholesale energy auctions and was therefore preempted by the Federal Power Act (FPA). Broadly speaking, under the FPA, wholesale energy sales are federally...
Energy Startups: Opportunities, Challenges, & Considerations
In a presentation during Maine Startup & Create Week , Verrill Dana partner Jim Cohen , a utilities and energy lawyer with more than 25 years of experience, moderated a panel focused on the question, " How can tech disrupt energy? " With innovation and new technologies being developed...
How Can Tech Disrupt Energy?
On Wednesday, June 21, as part of Maine Startup & Create Week , Verrill Dana partner Jim Cohen , a utilities and energy lawyer for more than 25 years, will moderate a panel entitled " How Can Tech Disrupt Energy ?" Panelists include Ben Polito , president of Pika...
2017 Maine Legislature to Consider a Variety of Energy Bills
On Friday, January 6, Maine Governor Paul LePage released his biennial general fund budget for 2018-19. The Governor's proposed biennial budget and briefing document can be found here . The main priority in the Budget is reducing Maine's top income tax rate from 10.15 percent to 7.15 percent this...
Maine PUC Proposes Net Metering Rule Changes
The PUC has issued a proposed rule that would change Maine's net metering compensation for rooftop solar (and other distributed generation). Under Maine's current rule, customers that generate power are given a credit equal to the full retail rate of electricity. The proposed rule would gradually reduce the portion...
Natural Gas: Where Do We Go From Here?
With cold weather approaching, natural gas production expected to rise and expansion projects underway, Verrill Dana and Pierce Atwood will host their fourth annual, Natural Gas: Where do we go from here? on Thursday, October 6 at The Woodlands in Falmouth, Maine. The all-day event, co-chaired by Verrill Dana...
D.C. Circuit Flips USFWS for Issuing ITP to Ohio Wind Power Project with 6 M/S Cut-in Speed
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has invalidated the issuance by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) of an incidental take permit (ITP) under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act for take of Indiana bats by the 100-turbine Buckeye Wind project in Ohio. The...
Not Just for Rooftops: A Look at Community Solar in Maine
Much of the discussion around solar policy focuses on rooftop solar. While rooftop solar is an option for certain homeowners with suitable rooftops and some extra cash in the bank (or the ability to obtain financing), rooftop solar is not available to a large segment of the population. Community...
D.C. Circuit Remands BOEM Cape Wind Lease under NEPA and ESA, Punts on MBTA Challenge
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has dealt another setback to the Cape Wind offshore wind power project by holding yesterday in Public Employees for Environmental Responsibilities v. Hopper that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) violated...
4.4 MW Solar Facility to Provide Power for Madison Electric Works Customers
IGS Solar recently announced that Madison Electric Works will buy power from IGS's 4.4 MW solar array under a long-term contract. IGS will finance, own and operate the 4.4 megawatt generation facility, which will include more than more than 13,000 solar panels. MEW serves customers in Madison, Starks, Anson...
Seeking Competition Among the Uncompetitive: Maine PUC Must Define “Competitive” in Biomass Subsidy Proceeding
What makes a competitive bidding process "competitive"? The Maine PUC is currently grappling with this question in Docket No. 2016-00084 in which it is tasked with awarding contracts for up to 80MW of biomass generation. Under a new law, P.L. 2015, ch. 483 , the PUC must solicit bids...
Maine PUC Opens New Proceeding to Explore Changes to Net Metering Rules
On Tuesday, the PUC opened a new docket (2016-00120) requesting comments from interested stakeholders about the future of net metering (also known as "net energy billing"). In January, CMP notified the Commission that in 2015 net metering resources had exceeded 1% of CMP's peak demand, triggering PUC review under...
After Solar Bill Fails to Muster Veto-Proof Support, PUC Will Decide Fate of Net Metering
Last Friday, the Maine House came within two votes of overriding Governor LePage's veto of LD 1649 , a bill that would have substantially increased installed solar capacity in Maine. The Senate had previously voted unanimously to override the veto. The bill would have sought to increase solar capacity...
Hughes v. Talen Energy: Supreme Court Strikes Down Maryland Generation Subsidy on Narrow Grounds
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued its decision (8-0) in Hughes v. Talen Energy striking down a Maryland program that encouraged additional in-state generation. Hughes is the second decision of the term, following FERC v. Electric Power Supply Association , in which the Court has struggled to clarify the...
Maine Commission Reviews Non-Transmission Alternative Pilot Project; Opens New Docket to Appoint NTA Coordinator
Eight years ago, Central Maine Power (CMP), Maine's largest T&D utility, proposed the Maine Power Reliability Program (MPRP)—a comprehensive plan to upgrade transmission resources ensure reliable service to its customers throughout its service territory. As part of an agreement reached in that docket, a Non-Transmission Alternative (NTA) pilot project...
Maine Solar Bill Proposes to Expand Capacity Without Net Metering
On March 10, the Maine Legislature's Energy, Utilities & Technology Committee reported out a bill that is the culmination of the solar stakeholder process at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The bill sets a target of developing 248 MW of new solar capacity over a five-year period beginning in...
Beyond Net Metering: Solar Stakeholders Seek Common Ground
Since September, solar stakeholders have been participating in regular work sessions at the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to develop an alternative to Maine's current net metering rules. Net metering or "net energy billing" allows utility customers who also generate some of their own power (with solar panels, for...
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