Maine

Legislative activities

“In June 2006, Governor Baldacci signed Maine’s Energy Independence and Security Act, which gives permission to the Maine Public Utilities Commission to incorporate cost-effective demand response and energy efficiency into standard offer supply (LD 2041).” [1]

Besides Maine’s Energy Independence and Security Act state legislature has passed legislation on net-metering standards as early as 1987. They also created contractual methods for entering into solar easements for solar energy systems in 1981 and expanded solar access rights in 2009. [2, 3, 4]

Regulatory activities

The Maine Public Utilities Commission had established time of use rates for residential and business customers as early as 1988. By 2009 they also approved electric energy storage for residential customers. [5, 6, 7]

“In February 2008, the Maine Public Utilities Commission issued a draft resource-adequacy plan — “A Resource Adequacy Plan for Maine: Consideration of Electricity Sector Investment Strategies” — which recommends, among other things, increasing the amount of demand response. It says:

“Although additional resources are not needed per se in Maine, incremental demand response should have a positive effect under almost all future market conditions. Indeed, an increase in peak demand relative to average demand due to air-conditioning penetration suggests increasing needs for peaking capacity and/or demand responses to meet those super peak hours that only occur a few hours a year. Therefore, we recommend that demand response be encouraged to the maximum extent possible given its cost-effectiveness.”
The draft plan was developed to meet the requirements of Maine’s Energy Independence and Security Act (LD 2041).” [1]

Time of use rates break the cost for electricity into periods with demand and energy priced on-peak or off-peak.

Electric Energy Storage is any electric equipment/process whose sole function is to consume electrical energy and store it in a thermal mass so that when the company cycles the electricity off it will not adversely affect the customer.

Utilities and Rate Schedules

Bangor Hydro Electric Company
- Bangor Hydro Electric Company Rates

Central Maine Power
- Central Maine Power Rates

Maine Public Service Co.
- Maine Public Service Co. Rates

See the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) for information on consumer-owned Cooperatives: http://www.nreca.org/members/MemberDirectory/Pages/default.aspx

State-Level Incentives

Maine has piloted a community based renewable energy production incentive, and a community solar lending program. Its tax incentives include a sales and use tax refund for qualified community wind generators.

More information can be found in the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE): http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=ME

Additional Resources

State Energy Office:
- Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security
- Maine Public Utilities Commission Efficiency Maine Division State Energy Program

State Authority Dealing with Energy Regulation:
- Maine Public Utilities Commission
- Docket Search: http://mpuc.informe.org/easyfile/easyweb.php?func=easyweb_splashpage

Maine Revised Statutes

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE): http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=ME

References

[1] Demand Response and Smart Metering Policy Actions Since the Energy Policy Act of 2005: A Summary for State Officials, Prepared by the U.S. Demand Response Coordinating Committee for The National Council on Electricity Policy, Fall 2008. URL: http://www.oe.energy.gov/DocumentsandMedia/NCEP_Demand_Response_1208.pdf
[2] Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, Maine – Net metering, 05/20/2010. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=ME02R&re=1&ee=1
[3] Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, Maine Solar Easements, 02/02/2010. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=ME03R&re=1&ee=1
[4] Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, Maine Solar Rights, 02/02/2010. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=ME12R&re=1&ee=1
[5] Maine Public Service, MPS Retail Rates, 7/1/2008. URL: http://www.mainepublicservice.com/my-account/rates-and-terms/mps-retail-rates.aspx
[6] Central Maine Power, Your Business Pricing Schedules. URL: http://www.cmpco.com/YourBusiness/pricing/pricingSchedules/default.html
[7] Bangor Hydro, T&D Rate Schedules, 8/8/2009. URL: http://www.bhe.com/business/rates/rates-schedules.aspx