On July 21, Environment America released the fourth annual “Lighting the Way Report.” This report analyzes the growth of solar power in America, and ranks each state based on its performance in the past year.
Unfortunately, Maine ranked 27th in solar capacity per capita in 2015. We are lagging behind the rest of the country.
Maine has the available sunlight to meet our electricity needs more than 96 times over. It is more than possible, given the will to perform, for Maine to utilize solar at a much higher rate with great success.
What is keeping us from reaching our potential? Our slow progress is because of state laws that make it financially impossible for most residents to take advantage of solar power. We are not giving solar and other clean energies the support that they need to get off of the ground.
States that have performed well in this report are not necessarily those with the most sunshine. Among the top 10 are Massachusetts, Vermont, Colorado, and New Jersey. Their success is attributed to legislative support of clean energy initiatives. I believe that we can follow in their footsteps.
Gwyneth Roberts
Cape Elizabeth
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