PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 4, 2021
Over the next few years, hundreds of thousands of solar panels will be scattered across thousands of acres in Maine, including farmland and cut forest. This unprecedented activity is being spurred by recent state policies and laws aimed at encouraging a rapid shift away from oil and gas to renewable electric power for running cars and heating buildings. Maine Audubon has put together a solar siting toolkit, aimed at steering development away from high-value natural resources and agricultural lands. The Nature Conservancy is using GIS mapping to identify the best and worst sites based on habitat fragmentation.