Who is the Maine Community Power Cooperative (MCPC)?

MCPC is a Maine-based solar energy cooperative committed to lowering energy costs for all ratepayers. MCPC develops, owns, and operates small-scale community solar projects. Our member-owners receive 15-20% savings on their total electricity costs every month, and our network of distributed generation projects strengthens the grid for all Mainers.

• Our 1-acre 200 kW projects power 50 homes for 20 years

• +50% of the power generated is allocated to low- to moderate-income (LMI) households who save 20% on their electricity bills, including fixed charges

• On average, our members save $40/month ($480/year)

• Our cooperative is governed by a Board of member-owners

• Our energy dollars stay here in Maine–with no shareholders, profits are reinvested in the cooperative to serve its member-owners

Why it matters

MCPC is a member-owned cooperative with 288 (and growing!) members. Our first solar projects are providing an average savings of $40/month for low-income households struggling to keep up with rising energy costs. MCPC provides much needed relief for Mainers stranded with rising costs and nowhere to turn. LD1966 provides a lifeline to allow MCPC to continue building solar projects and providing lower, stable energy costs for all Mainers.

What does LD1966 do?

LD1966 provides a technical fix to LD1777, which eliminated NEB for all front-of-the-meter systems without providing a solution for cooperatively-owned community solar projects. This bill provides a stop-gap, allowing us to continue serving our member-owners until the NEB Successor Program is established later this year. For MCPC, this means establishing a procurement program with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for 4MW of cooperatively owned community solar projects. This program will provide electricity savings for up to 1,000 additional low- to moderate-income households.