TRENTON, Maine — The moratorium on medium- and large-scale solar energy system development in Trenton has been extended another 180 days.
The decision came in a quick 10-minute meeting of Trenton’s select board on Tuesday night.
The current solar moratorium expires Oct. 5. It was extended for another 180 days or until the town adopts an amendment dealing with solar developments. The town currently has a working committee looking into potential changes.
Three solar farms are in process already under the town’s existing ordinance. Their combined land use is approximately 60 acres.
The last proposed ordinance change would have allowed solar farms of up to 30-acre lots in residential districts. The planning board had revised the town’s current solar ordinance, hoping to address a citizen push toward limiting commercial solar developments.
Residents against those ordinance changes had formed a citizens group called Neighbors Against More Large Scale Solar Development. Trenton voters soundly rejected those changes by a vote of 180-50 in May.
The original moratorium came after a developer proposed building a 70-megawatt solar farm near the town’s industrial park. Approximately 300 acres of land would have been cleared. The Maryland-based company also discussed a potential tax increment financing (TIF) agreement for the project, which can amount to a property tax break.
It’s not the first moratorium Trenton has had as it has tried to regulate solar energy projects. An earlier moratorium occurred in 2020. That moratorium allowed the town to create regulations that define projects as small, medium, or large.
A working group has been created that includes Selectman Charles Farley and six citizens. Five citizens are working members and one is an alternate: Jeanetta Peabody, Steve Eddy, Greg Askins, Emily Muise, Christina Heiniger, and the alternate is Maria Gott.
There will be a workshop on solar, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. at the Trenton Town Office. It will not be on Zoom.
This story was originally published by The Bar Harbor Story. To receive regular coverage from the Bar Harbor Story, sign up for a free subscription here.
