PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 21, 2022
Large solar arrays already have popped up across the state, catching the eyes of motorists and others as they go past the rows of shimmering, glass-and-steel panels. Many more will be needed, in Maine and throughout the country, to reduce carbon emissions and avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change. While a coal-fired power plant producing electricity for a region can fit on a city block, an equally productive solar array may require 10 square miles. Wind power, too, needs a lot of space. Solar arrays, and their clean-energy counterpart, wind farms, may not fit everybody’s idea of a scenic view. But they are necessary, and far better than the alternative.