Maine to study whether creating local electric grid operator could cut costs, improve reliability

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 8, 2024

Maine officials are imagining an electric grid of the future nimble enough to communicate with buildings to cut energy use, provide power to electric vehicles adapted to serve as batteries, and keep pace with a growing array of solar and wind sources. The Governor’s Energy Office is leading a study, called for in legislation, to determine if a Maine-based organization could run the state’s electric grid while saving money for customers, improving reliability and more quickly reaching Maine’s climate goals. A Maine grid operator could speed the transition to clean energy.