Lincoln County Publishing Company, the parent company of The Lincoln County News, now receives almost 10 percent of its electricity from a solar energy system.
The Washington, Maine company, Maine Energy Performance Systems, completed installation of the system earlier this month.
The company defines the system, in technical terms, as “a 15.75 kW photovoltaic grid-tied system” that “will deliver approximately 20 megawatts of locally produced, clean energy per year.”
An $18,750 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) with a $56,250 match from Lincoln County Publishing Company paid for the system.
The project will pay for itself “in approximately 14 years,” said Maine Energy Performance Systems owner Richard Simon.
Lincoln County Publishing Company owner Chris Roberts said the REAP grant made the project possible. “If the system lasts for 25 years, we should be a little more efficient and less reliant on non-renewable resources to generate electricity,” Roberts said.
The company, in continuing cooperation with Maine Energy Performance Solutions, plans to continue its pursuit of energy efficiency with an energy audit, underwritten by a $2000 Efficiency Maine grant.
Lincoln County Publishing is already in the process of upgrading its lighting to a more efficient system, and Roberts expects the process to continue after the audit.
A steady decrease in the price of equipment, including solar panels, and the work of policymakers at the state and federal level, mean “the price tag for energy efficiency and alternative energy projects has never been better,” said Maine Energy Performance Systems Chief Financial Officer Steve Bowers.
The Lincoln County Publishing Company project is one of 900 companies nationwide and eight statewide to receive funding in a recent round of REAP grants.
REAP offers funds for farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) press release.
USDA Rural Development Maine State Director Virginia Manuel said the grants “will help spur innovation and growth in rural communities in Maine by assisting eight rural businesses to lower operational costs significantly while using less energy, saving jobs and contributing to the long-term sustainability of their businesses.”
“We’re delighted to assist these small businesses which are so vital to Maine’s economy,” Manuel said.
