February 24th, 2026
Hi all —
Policy updates
As many of you may have heard, MCPC is navigating some uncertainty in state policy. Last summer, LD1777: An Act to Reduce Costs and Increase Customer Protections for the State's Net Energy Billing Programs, was passed in order to address wider concerns regarding community solar development in Maine.
MCPC received an exemption from project charges that were applied to other community solar developers due to our small-scale and cooperative model. However, these exemptions were not extended to allow us to continue developing new projects under existing Net Energy Billing (NEB) rules - this is the mechanism behind our ability to offer bill discounts.
A technical fix to this oversight has been proposed in LD1966: An Act to Improve Access to Community Solar Programs in the State, that would allow us to continue to offer discounts to our members and develop projects for a growing membership.
What does this mean for members who have signed up?
We are planning to build 6 more projects in 2026, bringing capacity for about 300 more households including existing members who have yet to be assigned to a solar project. Check out more information on our project timelines.
If you think you may qualify for the 20% discount, you can still sign up today and start receiving bill credits in about two months! Learn more.
What can you do now?
Take 2 minutes today to share your story as an MCPC member or supporter by signing this petition.
You can also reach out directly to the Energy, Utilities, and Technology (EUT) Committee and tell your legislators to vote YES on LD1966 as amended and to support MCPC and local, cooperatively-owned clean energy in Maine!
– MCPC Team
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