Unpaid Fees Cost Maine Solar Subscribers Their Monthly Credits

Roughly 1,800 community solar customers in Maine will not receive their expected bill credits this month because some solar project sponsors failed to pay a newly required state charge.

Central Maine Power has started notifying affected customers that it cannot apply the credits generated by their community solar projects. The missed credits could leave some customers with higher electric bills than they expected, WGME reported.

The charge was created through changes lawmakers approved last year to Maine’s Net Energy Billing program. It is calculated using a project’s size and electricity generation and is designed to help cover program costs that might otherwise be passed on to other utility customers.

The news station said solar project sponsors are responsible for paying the monthly charge. Under state law and Maine Public Utilities Commission rules, utilities cannot apply credits to subscribers when a project sponsor has not paid.

The CBS13 I-Team found several sponsors failed to make the required payments, though state agencies could not immediately identify all the companies involved.

A notice provided by a CBS13 viewer showed that at least one affected sponsor is Novel Energy Solutions, which operates several community solar projects in western Maine under the Join Solar name. The company did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

The Maine Office of the Public Advocate says customers should not be billed by their solar provider for credits that were never applied. Subscribers will lose the promised discount, typically between 10% and 20%, but should not pay more than CMP’s normal electricity rate.

The office also said it believes at least one company that missed the payment may be insolvent and is encouraging affected customers to consider switching community solar providers.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission has not opened a formal proceeding, but its rules allow sanctions including fines, restitution, cease-and-desist orders and removal from the Net Energy Billing program.