BUXTON, MainE
Emery Meadow Solar Station is a 21 MWDC project, located in Buxton, Maine
The project is sited on secluded, privately owned land, connecting to an existing Central Maine Power (“CMP”) transmission line. The power will be sold to CMP at competitive rates and delivered to local ratepayers.
The project will use advanced technology to maximize the energy production; it will incorporate single-axis tracking racks that follow the sun’s transit, and bifacial solar panels, which generate electricity from both sides.
The site is leased from local property owners who have been residents of Buxton for many years.
Emery Meadow Solar Station is expected to begin construction in 2024. Once operational the project will generate emission free electricity for decades, offsetting an estimated 665,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over thirty years. In the first year of service, emissions avoided by Emery Meadow Solar Station’s clean energy will equal the carbon sequestered by 45 square miles of forest.
LOCATION
103 Mark P Emery Road
Buxton, Maine
04093
Latitude: 43.640348
Longitude: -70.561326
Project updates
The Buxton Planning Board voted the to extend the CUP by one year on May 9th, 2022.
PERMIT UpDate
The Maine DEP issued Emery Meadow Solar Station SLODA and NRPA permits on 03/08/22.
PERMIT ISSUED
The US Army Corp of Engineers issued Emery Meadow Solar Station a Maine General Permit Authorization Letter on 11/09/21.
PERMIT ISSUED
The Buxton Planning Board issued Emery Meadow Solar Station a Conditional Use Permit on 09/13/21.
PERMIT ISSUED
The Buxton Planning Board held a public hearing for Emery Meadow Solar Station on 08/09/21 at 7:00 PM. The meeting was held in person at the Buxton Municipal Offices. The Board voted to approve a Conditional Use Permit at the meeting.
PUBLIC HEARING
PUBLIC HEARING
The Buxton Planning Board held a public hearing for Emery Meadow Solar Station on 06/14/21 at 7:00 PM. The meeting was held in person at the Buxton Municipal Offices.
SITE VISIT
The Buxton Planning Board held a site visit for Emery Meadow Solar Station on 05/22/21 at 8:00 AM. The site visit was attended by members of the public and the Planning Board.
Permit APPLICATION
Emery Meadow Solar Station applied for a Conditional Use Permit in the Town of Buxton on 02/01/2021.
PPA EXECUTED
On 01/15/21 Central Maine Power filed the executed energy contract with Emery Meadow Solar Station with the MPUC.
PPA APPROVED
On 12/22/20 the MPUC approved the energy contract between Emery Meadow Solar Station and CMP. The contract will now be executed by the parties.
PERMIT APPLICATION
Emery Meadow Solar Station applied for a Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA) permit to the Maine DEP on 12/18/20.
PERMIT APPLICATION
Emery Meadow Solar Station applied for a Site Location of Development Act (SLODA) permit to the Maine DEP on 12/18/20.
PUBLIC MEETING
Emery Meadow Solar Station held a public meeting in accordance with Maine Department of Environmental Protection (“Maine DEP”) requirements on 12/17/20. The meeting was held via Zoom.
PPA SELECTION
Emery Meadow Solar Station was selected by the Maine Public Utility Commission (“MPUC”) to enter into an energy contract with Central Maine Power (“CMP”) on 09/22/20. The order was issued under the RPS Tranche 1 procurement managed by the MPUC.
community
Emery Meadow Solar Station will be a model for positive community engagement. The project will preserve Buxton’s recreational and natural resources while allowing the local generation of affordable and reliable clean energy.
Glenvale will establish a community benefits plan and contribute to local initiatives and causes. Do you have a suggested good cause that you think Glenvale can support? Please let us know.
We have partnered with longstanding local owners to lease the land on which the project will be built. The project will not be visible from public roads or publicly accessible trails, nor will it require any new transmission line construction.
environment
The site is ideal for a modern renewable energy power plant, avoiding impact to critical natural resources. The project will not be visible from the scenic highways or trails. The project will improve the area’s natural resources by providing acres of cultivated habitat for pollinators.
Emery Meadow Solar Station is located on land currently managed for timber harvesting. No prime farmland will be used for the project; all logged trees are already planned for commercial harvest, and no new transmission lines will be constructed.
Emery Meadow Solar Station will generate an estimated 33,259 megawatt hours of emission free energy in its first operating year; that’s enough to power 4,922 typical Maine homes. Over the first thirty-years of operation, the project will generate 942,001 megawatt hours of renewable energy, and avoid the emission of 667,879 tons of carbon dioxide. The energy generated by Emery Meadow Solar Station will be delivered to the CMP transmission system using existing infrastructure, and used locally.
Economic impact
The project will be a critical source of employment and property taxes for Buxton. We expect to generate over one hundred construction jobs. Maine residents and Maine based business will be prioritized for contracting and employment opportunities.
The project will be a major tax-payer in Buxton. We expect to discuss a mutually beneficial agreement related to new taxes with the elected leadership in the community.
Glenvale has established an Apprenticeship Program in partnership with a leading local Community Development Financing Institution (CDFI). The Apprenticeship Program will support new employment opportunities for up to fifteen transitioning workers. Program participants will be selected based on their promise, training needs, and their ability to benefit from a structured training program. Interested in participating? Let us know.