The Boothbay region was slated to be the hot spot for solar power this summer, but one of the key players, Boothbay Microgrid backed out of the project, further delaying the Boothbay Pilot Project.

The Boothbay Pilot Project was first approved by the Maine Public Utilities Commission in 2012 to allow GridSolar, a Portland based company, to accept proposals from third-party subcontractors interested in providing electricity not delivered by wire to the Boothbay region for a three-year trial period.

The aim of the project is to reduce the strain on power lines that get overloaded on hot summer days during peak use.

Boothbay Microgrid was one of the third party subcontractors to be awarded a bid by GridSolar to assist in the Boothbay Pilot Project starting July 1, 2013.

But by May 23, Boothbay Microgrid officially withdrew its bid from the project, citing a failure to secure financial backing.

In a letter written to GridSolar, Boothbay Microgrid representative Kimball Kenway said efforts to recruit investors were stymied because certain tax credits to pay for 500kw batteries are not available unless a six-year or longer commitment is made.

Without the tax credits, (equaling 30 percent of equipment costs), Boothbay Microgrid could not afford to take on the project.

Following the withdrawal of Boothbay Microgrid, GridSolar needed to resubmit the Boothbay Pilot Project to the Maine Public Utilities Commission for further review.

Following June 1 deliberations with the PUC, it appeared all the projects from the first round of business applications will still move forward and have their solar panels installed, said Steve Hinchman, a project manager at GridSolar; however, a second round of bids is currently being accepted by GridSolar until the July 31 deadline.

The town of Boothbay's three municipal buildings represented about 10 percent of the Boothbay Pilot Project, Hinchman said. The Boothbay Fire Station, the public works garage and the waste management facility were all to be outfitted with solar panels and managed by Boothbay Microgrid. Since Boothbay Microgrid is no longer in the picture, another bidder, ReVision Energy is seeking to gain approval from the PUC to adopt the project as a spinoff from the Boothbay Pilot Project.

As of June 4, it had not yet been determined whether a spinoff could be approved by the PUC, said Hinchman, but ReVision Energy is still invested in the cause.

“If the PUC doesn't require a rebidding process for the municipal project, ReVision Energy will foot the bill, and it's not unusual for us to that,” said Bill Behrens, co-founder of ReVision Energy.  

Although ReVision would reap no profit from the investment, “It keeps our crews working and furthers our mission to get the New England region off of fossil fuels,” Behrens said.

While Central Maine Power has already spent $1 billion in the past two years upgrading old transmission lines throughout the state, the PUC has estimated nearly $18 million will be saved by avoiding building new power lines to the peninsula if the Boothbay Pilot Project proves to be successful.