Yes, we are always welcoming new members. You can sign up to join the cooperative today by clicking Become a Member

Our first two projects in Harrison will come online this fall, and we are developing many more projects across Maine that will be operational in 2026.

Our first two projects are coming online this fall. 

The capacity of these projects is full except for low- to moderate-income households (under 80% of Area Median Income), who can still be assigned to one of our first projects this fall. 

All other members will be assigned to projects coming online in the spring or summer. 

Sign up to join the cooperative today to add yourself to the queue for assignment to our next projects. You can keep your current community solar subscription until we assign you to one of our projects. 

Any residential or small business (SGS) customers of Central Maine Power (CMP) is eligible to join the cooperative.

Versant customers interested in joining the cooperative can contact us to learn more. 

Check second page of your Central Maine Power bill, under Delivery Charges. If you see "Delivery Charges: SGS . . ." your business can sign up. If you aren't sure, email a copy of your latest electricity bill to support@mainecommunitypower.com.

Yes, you can enroll multiple utility accounts under a single membership. 

For example, if you have accounts for your home, your camp, and a small business, you can subscribe all three under one MCPC membership. After you sign up, we’ll help you set up your account.

Yes, you can sign up even if you have solar panels at your home or business.

Many homes and businesses generate most, but not all, of their annual energy needs with solar panels. You can participate in our community solar program to cover the remainder of your energy usage.

Residential and small business customers with solar panels (self-generation) will receive a discount on their electricity usage costs, not including the fixed delivery service charge.

Yes, you can sign up today. 

You do not need to cancel your current subscription to sign up. However, you will need to cancel your other community solar subscription before receiving kWh credits from our projects. Our team will help you coordinate the timing of this cancellation. 

If you have a balance of banked solar credits, we will guide you through transitioning your subscription so you do not lose any credits you have already paid for. We will walk you through this process step by step.

Now is also a good time to review your current community solar contract, as some providers require 3 or 6 months’ notice for cancellation.

If you move within our service area, your new account will be added to your membership. If you move outside our service area, your membership will be canceled and your membership share will be refunded to you.

Yes, you can cancel your membership at any time.

You can cancel your subscription on the Account page of your member portal, or by emailing us at support@mainecommunitypower.com. When you cancel, we will remove your utility account(s) from our solar projects. You may continue to receive bills from us for 1–2 months for any credits applied during the transition period, as it can take the utility company up to 2 months for changes to take effect.

Our cooperative is member-owned and non-extractive, keeping energy dollars circulating in Maine. Our member-owners, Board of Directors, staff, and installation partners are all based right here in Maine.

The cooperative is made up of member-owners: residential and small business (SGS) customers of Central Maine Power. When you join the cooperative and subscribe to our community solar program, you become a member-owner.

The cooperative is governed by a Board of Directors, made up entirely of member-owners.

The Board oversees the operation of the cooperative on behalf of all member-owners. Members vote on decisions about how the cooperative is run at our Annual Meeting each spring.

This model ensures that decisions impacting our members are always made by members, for members.

The Board is made up entirely of member-owners who are subscribers to our community solar program. You can learn more about the Board on the About page.

Members can run for a seat on the Board at our Annual Meeting each spring. If you're interested in learning more, keep an eye out for updates in our monthly email newsletters or contact us. 

Unlike other community solar programs, the cooperative owns its entire portfolio of solar projects and controls the rates charged to members.

The Board reviews utility rates and operational costs to approve rates annually. While rates may be adjusted to cover the cost of operating the cooperative, members are not exposed to the energy price volatility experienced in the open market.

If rates do increase in the future, members are not locked into long term contracts and can cancel their memberships at any time. 

When you subscribe to our community solar program, the electricity you use each month (in kilowatt-hours, kWh) is offset by solar credits from our projects. Those credits are applied directly to your Central Maine Power (CMP) electricity bill.

Our solar projects throughout Maine generate electricity year-round and feed it back into the CMP grid. For every kWh of electricity we generate, we receive one solar credit (1 credit = 1 kWh of electricity).

These credits are applied to our members' electricity bills. If you use 500 kWh of electricity at your home or business, up to 500 kWh credits will be applied to your electricity bill to offset your usage.

We bill you for the credits you receive each month, at a discounted rate that’s 10%, 15%, or 20% less than CMP’s rates. This means your overall electricity costs are lower every month.

You don’t pre-pay for electricity, buy a piece of a project, or sign a long-term contract. You simply get the credits you need to cover your usage, and save.

Our members receive solar credits from one project at a time, though they may be reassigned to a different project over time as needed.

We have a portfolio of solar projects throughout Maine. To ensure that we're generating enough electricity for all of our members and providing the best possible member experience and savings, we may have to reassign you to a different project in the future. If this happens, we'll let you know. You'll continue to receive credits and save on your electricity costs. The only difference you'll see is the name of a different solar project on your bill each month. 

Maine is one of the most energy-burdened states in the country, meaning residents spend a disproportionately high share of their income on energy costs. We offer a sliding scale discount to mitigate the excessive energy burden on populations experiencing lower incomes.

We offer a sliding scale discount model with three discount options:

• 10% discount: For small businesses or residential customers who want to support the sliding-scale discount model
  
  
• 15% discount: Standard residential membership
  
  
• 20% discount: Income-eligible membership (For households earning less than 80% of area median income, subject to verification)

You can estimate your monthly and annual savings using our discount calculator.

Unlike other providers who only discount the usage portion of your bill, we apply discounts to both energy usage and fixed, including CMP's fixed delivery charge. This means greater relief and protection against further increases in CMP’s delivery service charge, which is currently $29.19/month and has more than doubled in the last three years.

Most community solar programs use a percentage-based allocation system, which can leave members with too many credits one month and too few the next.

We use cascading allocation, which applies credits to utility accounts in a prioritized order. For example, if you use 500 kWh of electricity in a month, you will receive up to 500 kWh in credits. This ensures you only pay for the kWh credits you actually use each month, and your bill will never be higher than it would be without a community solar subscription.

We carefully assign members to projects to ensure our projects generate enough electricity each year to meet member demand. In the unlikely event of an emergency, such as a grid failure or extreme weather, projects could under-produce for a given month. Our allocation model accounts for these risks, making it extremely unlikely that any of your electricity usage would not be offset by solar credits.

Households earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) or below 200% of the federal poverty line are eligible for a 20% discount.

After signing up, we’ll verify eligibility using one of the methods below:

1. (Preferred Option) Categorical Eligibility: We can quickly verify your participation in a federal, state, or tribal program with similar income limits.

If you’ve already verified your income through another income-limited program, we can accept that eligibility letter – no need to resubmit financial documents.

If anyone in your household participates in one of the following programs, you automatically qualify:

• Efficiency Maine low-income energy upgrade rebates
• Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• MaineCare
• Manufactured (Mobile) Home Initiative
• Or other income-eligible programs

If you’re enrolled in a program but aren’t sure if the income limits are similar, please let us know by emailing verification@mainecommunitypower.com and we can help you check.

2. Income Eligibility: You can verify eligibility by submitting your federal or state tax return or a tax return transcript.

If you don’t qualify through a program listed above, we can use your tax information instead. We (and probably you!) prefer to avoid asking for and sharing sensitive information, so we strongly encourage exploring categorical eligibility first.

However, we know those programs aren’t accessible to everyone, and we want to make cooperative membership available to all. If you’d like to verify your income using your tax return, we have a secure system in place. Please email verification@mainecommunitypower.com and we’ll guide you through the next secure steps.

Please do not send over any personal or tax information via email.

If we cannot verify your eligibility to receive a 20% discount, all members are eligible to receive a 15% discount.

Reach out anytime — we’re here to help:Have questions about qualifying for a 20% discount?     Email verification@mainecommunitypower.com 

A recent study prepared for the Maine Public Utilities Commission found that net energy billing (which includes community solar projects) resulted in net savings of more than $30 million in 2023. Read the full report here. 

No. This is a common myth perpetuated by anti-solar activists. Columbia Law School recently released a report debunking common myths about solar, wind, and electric vehicles. Read the report here

You can learn more about community solar by checking out the Maine Office of the Public Advocate website.