The Maine Audubon Society has just published an article in which the organization is highly favorable towards 3 recent solar panel installations in southern Maine. Stating that climate change is the number one threat to birds and other wildlife in Maine, the society “cheered on the growth of local solar energy” of late.

Maine Audubon acknowledges that the placement of large scale solar farms can reduce the habitat available to wildlife, and is eager to see responsible location planning.

The placement of three solar energy generation systems in southern Maine have been highlighted by the society as wonderful examples of proper location selection.

From maineaudubon.org:

Monmouth Solar

“Rick Dyer, a fourth-generation farmer in Monmouth, knew he needed to diversify if he wanted to keep his dairy farm in operation, and considered whether solar development on a portion of his land might provide stability. He worked with Longroad Energy to produce 4.95 megawatts of solar energy on about 36 acres of his 1,000 acre property.”

https://maineaudubon.org/news/shining-some-light-on-three-exciting-solar-projects-in-maine/

The second of the three:

Augusta Cloverleaf Project

“Disturbed roadside lands are an ideal spot for solar development. The land can’t be used for housing or agriculture, and is too small and dangerous to be quality wildlife habitat. In fact, encouraging wildlife to use highway lands is dangerous both to wildlife and to drivers, and the Augusta interchange being developed was known locally as a hotspot for deer-car collisions. Furthermore, using highway lands may reduce the need for long transmission lines or new access roads due to the fact that they are often proximate to existing development.”

Finally, the third location for a solar power system that was cheered by Maine Audubon:

South Portland Landfill Project

“Another ideal location for solar development is a capped landfill, which, like highway interchanges, cannot be used for other purposes. There are thousands of landfills in the country and, along with places like brownfields, parking lots, rooftops, idle or underutilized industrial or commercial sites, and sand and gravel pits, they can host solar panels without losing high-value wildlife habitat or agricultural land.”

You can read the entire article by visiting maineaudubon.org.