Maine adds new fees for building solar projects on farmland

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 21, 2025

Developers who want to build large solar projects on valuable Maine farmland will now have to apply for a permit and pay additional fees. The rules went into effect on Sunday after months of development and public feedback. They follow a 2023 law directing the department to develop a program to protect soil and wildlife habitat from energy development, including solar and wind power projects. It’s another step to regulate the solar farms that have multiplied in Maine since a 2019 law removed barriers to them. Ground-based solar projects are being met with increasing resistance in towns around the state for a number of reasons, including fears of removing farmland from production. Maine lost 82,567 acres of farmland between 2017 and 2022.