Exploring Municipal Solar and Camden’s Road to Zero Emissions — November 14
Nov 05, 2024
The lease is currently up—is it time to invest in these panels?
We’re fortunate to be living in a time ripe with solutions to our global planetary crisis. We’re not waiting for answers. We’re only waiting for humans to choose the solutions that work. “As always, the outcome is in our hands.”
Everyone is a winner when it comes to solar. We’ve experienced the role that the sun and sun technologies can play in meeting electricity demand and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Last spring we hosted an evening on home solar (“Plugging into Solar,” video here—starts about 2 minutes in) and learned the many ways that our neighbors have reduced their electricity bills and GHG emissions.
This month we’re hosting an evening on town solar, inviting officials from Thomaston and Lincolnville to share their experiences building out town solar arrays. While we’re eager to hear their solutions, we are also eager to hear from you at the event—in person or online—about the path you’d like to see Camden take regarding municipal power. We hope you’ll join us on 11/14/24. See more in the “Events” list below.
Harbor Resilience Survey/Recap
In case you haven’t had a chance yet to share your thoughts regarding building a resilient Camden Harbor, here’s the link to the presentation and to the survey. Your opinion is important. There’ll be another workshop for residents and stakeholders in the coming weeks—look for more in our 11/19/24 newsletter.
Potluck Recap
We had a hearty group at last month’s potluck. We met new friends, ate great food, and talked about the ways home food gardening and growing in general help build our resilience. Thanks to those who joined for enriching the evening. We are now forging ahead on our second Food Garden Tour in Fall 2025.
Upcoming Climate/Community Building Events
11/6/24, Wednesday, 4 pm and 5 pm, Rockport, Workshop on Ecosystem Vulnerability and Climate Change. Join the Rockport Conservation Commission and Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) for an indoor-outdoor workshop about building local climate resilience through land conservation, sustainable farming, and water resource management. Learn about the critical roles of protecting natural spaces, regenerative farming, and water resource management to adapt to climate change. We’ll start at Erickson Fields at 4 pm to see and learn about the forest ecosystem and see MCHT practices in action. Then at 5 pm, we’ll move to the high school (CHRS) to review GIS (Geographic Information System) maps about vulnerable and high-value ecosystems. This is also an opportunity to share your thoughts—on areas to prioritize for resilience, or actions to help our area become more resilient. Whether you’re a resident, farmer, or environmental advocate, your insights and ideas are essential in shaping a sustainable future. Refreshments will be provided.
11/7/24, Thursday, 7 pm, via zoom, What Unites Us. Election season can be tough. We focus on our side of an issue, our point of view. We often see what divides us from others. But, there are so many things that unite us. We’re all human and we have so many things to share with each other, even when we feel divided—especially when we feel divided. Come together with other Mainers for this virtual program where we’ll focus on the many wonderful things that we share with each other. This isn’t the time for political debate, so leave your politics at the door. This is time to come together to discover what unites us. Hosted by MECoLAB. Register here.
11/14/24, Thursday, 630 pm, Camden Public Library (or via zoom). Town Solar—How Communities Can Support Renewable Energy and Save Money. Join this Camden Talks Climate event to learn how municipalities that have invested in solar arrays have reduced large electrical bills, gone to 100% clean energy for municipal energy, and in some places earned back significant dollars that can be reinvested in other sustainable initiatives. John Fancy, Thomaston’s Project Planner, will explain how that village significantly reduced electricity bills over the last 14 years (and have paid off the bonds). Dave Kinney, Lincolnville’s Town Administrator, will discuss his town’s approach to going toward 100% clean energy, providing financial benefits as well. The evening will finish with an extensive Q&A period so that attendees can discuss how Camden can move toward 100% clean municipal energy while also receiving cost savings. Come join us to voice your opinion and learn how you can help. (See article at top of this newsletter.)
11/15/24, Friday, 5 pm, Brooklin School Library. Talking to Our Kids About the Climate Future. Join the Brooklin Climate Response Committee and psychologist Steve Benson to think and talk about how we field out children’s questions, comments, and un-named feelings in response to climate change today. CHILDCARE and SNACKS provided. This is the link to register via zoom.
That Other Kind of Infrastructure: Community
Like other important democratic infrastructures—eg., sewers and roads—our community dialogue and issue-solving capacities are locally built. It’s a long and demanding process.
We’re grappling on a local level with expensive projects with potential outcomes that aren’t always well understood—and on which we still need to engage and make the best choices possible. No matter what the outcome of today’s national election, next June’s Megunticook watershed vote, or future votes in Camden on municipal solar, wastewater, or harbor facilities, our role as citizens is to stay informed and civil as we work toward solutions. Issue after issue.
CamdenCAN is here as a service to our community to keep the critical issues of resilience, and thriving in a changing world, front and center. We’ll continue to host Camden Talks Climate events, publish this newsletter, and work with both town staff and individuals to educate, connect, and think joyously about Camden’s possibilities. It won’t be easy to bridge our divides, but we’re willing to keep at it.
Let us know ways we can improve in this mission by noting so in the comments below, or by replying to this newsletter.
Concluding Thoughts
When Camden signed on to the Global Covenant of Mayors on 2/20/2018, we pledged to develop “ambitious, measurable, and time-bound targets to reduce/limit greenhouse gas emissions” and to set “ambitious and just goals to improve access to sustainable energy.”
And these goals were set out in Camden’s 2017 Comprehensive Plan: “The Town should set as a priority the creation of a long-range plan to address energy sustainability for the future. This should include decreasing the Town’s reliance on fossil fuels and public electric utilities, and moving toward providing the residents of the community with municipally generated electric service.” And in 2019 we tried to invest in a regional solar farm, but were stymied by the governor’s office.
It’s time for Camden to renew its municipal solar push. While the array at Sagamore Farms covers 7-8% of our municipal energy needs, we can do more, and provide solar energy options for Camden residents who won’t be able to install solar—either because they’re renting or don’t have the means to invest in solar on their own homes. Community solar cooperatives are possibly an answer, and they’re being explored nearby towns. Municipal aggregation is also a path toward providing lower emission and lower cost electricity for residents. There are many possibilities.
We hope you’ll be intrigued, too, to learn ways our town can harness solar to improve our bottom lines, our atmosphere, and the lives our our neighbors. Come join us on November 14.
