March 2, 2019
...AND CHEAPER...:
A small Maine city has begun reaping serious benefits from its solar power push (Abigail Curtis, February 27, 2019, Bangor Daily News)
On an otherwise unremarkable day last December, something powerful happened in the city of Belfast.That was when the city's new 5-acre solar installation went online at the site of the still-under-construction public works facility off Crocker Road. And when it did, the 660-kilowatt project -- along with two other solar projects built within the past few years -- allowed the city to offset almost 90 percent of its municipal electric costs.It's a good feeling, said Belfast City Councilor Eric Sanders, a founding member of the city's energy committee. Since it was formed half a decade ago, the committee has been working to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used by the city and to lower greenhouse gas and air pollutions emissions there."Every time we start getting meters clicking, we say to ourselves, that's what's supposed to happen," he said. "I view solar like people probably did telephone poles 100 years ago: It's going to happen. How do we best place ourselves as a leader for our citizens?"
Posted by Orrin Judd at March 2, 2019 11:52 PM