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FAQs about community solar in Maine
A community solar contract length varies from company to company. Some community solar companies in Maine require a 20-year contract, while others have no fixed agreement. It’s vital to ask a community solar company about their contract terms before you join their program.
Not all community solar companies provide a consolidated bill, which is one bill that includes your electric utility charges and your community solar subscription. If your community solar provider doesn’t provide a consolidated statement, you will get two bills: one for your community solar use and another for your electric utility charges. It’s essential to research billing when you shop for a community solar program if you need to have a single bill.
Most companies have free cancellation clauses in their agreements with customers. Depending on the company, you may need to give a 60 or 180-day cancellation notice before ending your contract at no charge.
Arcadia has no cancellation fee with notice, but it may take about 90 days for your utility in Maine to complete the cancellation process. If you are moving, Arcadia can also help you find a new community solar project in your new location and transfer your account.
Community solar farms are typically located away from their customers’ homes. They are constructed on open fields, brownfields (previously used land), capped landfills, and roofs of large buildings (churches, warehouses, community organizations, etc.).
A community solar company serves as an intermediary between a solar farm developer and subscribers by handling customer acquisition and subscriber accounts. A solar developer pays the company for each new subscriber enrollment. The solar developer earns a profit from subscribers’ monthly utility payments. Solar developers will have more incentives to build community solar projects with the help of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a 2022 federal climate law. The IRA will provide a 30% investment tax credit for solar developers together with a 10% adder and other federal grants for building solar projects in underserved and disadvantaged communities.