Turner, MAINE
Turner Meadow Solar Station is a 26 MWDC project, located in Turner, 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 bifacial solar panels, which generate electricity from both sides, and racks that track the sun’s transit throughout the day. Both technologies increase energy generation.
The site is leased from a local landowner who has been a resident of Turner for many years.
Turner Meadow Solar Station is expected to begin construction by 2024. Once operational the project will generate emission free electricity for decades, offsetting over 1,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over forty years. In the first year of service, emissions avoided by Turner Meadow Solar Station will equal the carbon sequestered by 55 square miles of forest.
LOCATION
Ledgeview Dr/Little Wilson Pond Rd
Turner, Maine
04282
Latitude: 44.229478
Longitude: -70.280266
Project updates
On 10/20/22 Glenvale and Fuss O’Neill will host a public informational meeting at 6:30 PM at the Leavitt Institute Community Room, 98 Matthews Way, Turner, Maine . The meeting is held in accordance with the requirements of the upcoming Maine DEP (“MDEP”) permit applications for the project. All interested members of the public are invited to attend; abutters have been notified in accordance with MDEP requirements.
Public Meeting
The Turner Planning Board scheduled a site-walk on November 2 at 4:30 PM. All interested members of the public are invited to attend. The project entrance and suitable parking will be signed.
Site Walk
The Turner Planning Board may include the project on the agenda for it’s scheduled workshop meeting on November 6th. Interested members of the public may attend.
Public Hearing
PPA APPROVED
On 09/28/21 the MPUC approved the energy contract between Turner Meadow Solar Station and Central Maine Power.
PPA SELECTION
Turner Meadow Solar Station was selected by the Maine Public Utility Commission (“MPUC”) to enter into an energy contract with Central Maine Power on 06/29/21. The order was issued under the RPS Tranche 2 procurement (Docket # 2021-00004) managed by the MPUC.
community
Turner Meadow Solar Station will be a model for positive community engagement. The project will preserve Turner's recreational and natural resources while allowing the local generation of affordable and reliable clean energy. The project will preserve and enhance the existing snow mobile trail system on the property.
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 a longstanding local landowner to lease the project site. The project will not be visible from public roads, 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 improve the area’s natural resources by providing acres of cultivated habitat for pollinators. The pollinator habitat will be a critical benefit, and help to alleviate the decline in pollinators.
Turner 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.
Turner Meadow Solar Station will generate an estimated 40,430 megawatt hours of emission free energy in its first operating year; that’s enough to power 5,984 typical Maine homes. Over the first forty-years of operation, the project will generate 1,467,400 megawatt hours of renewable energy, and avoid the emission of over 1,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The energy generated by Turner 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 Turner. We expect to generate over one hundred construction jobs at peak employment. Maine residents and Maine based business will be prioritized for contracting and employment opportunities.
The project will be a major tax-payer in Turner. We expect to discuss a mutually beneficial agreement related to new taxes with the elected leadership in each 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.