Two years ahead of schedule, our goal to obtain all our electricity from the sun is within reach. We have been awarded two grants to launch the final phase of our initiative. With $86,898 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and $10,000 from the Davis Conservation Foundation, we are poised to install another set of photovoltaic panels on the Alheim property while making energy efficiency improvements in the Visitor Center. If we can raise just $30,000 more in donations by December 31 Our dual “conserve and convert” effort will make us the first nonprofit in Maine to meet 100% of our electricity requirements using solar power.

In the first 14 months of our commitment to solar, our system has produced 74,425 KWh of electricity, avoiding 96,807 pounds of carbon dioxide and saving $10,345. You can always see our current statistics online.

Kilowatt-hours of solar power generated at the Wells Reserve, April 2013 to June 2014

This article appeared in Watermark 31(1): Summer 2014