East Brown Cow and ReVision Energy celebrate completion of 11-acre solar farm in Sidney

Sidney, ME East Brown Cow, in partnership with ReVision Energy, have completed an 11-acre solar array. The stand-alone parcel consists of 4,928 solar panels, which will offset 3,182,639 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. This is equivalent to the emissions created from more than four million miles driven annually in a gas-powered car or driving 297 times around the perimeter of the U.S.

“Our long-term partnership with ReVision Energy demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Tim Soley, president of East Brown Cow. “As our capacity at East Brown Cow continues to grow, so too does our responsibility to exercise that capacity in exploring new sustainability solutions. Expanding our real estate portfolio to include an off-site solar project is an exciting progression and an elegant solution in that it will yield both environmental sustainability outcomes and the financial sustainability needed for future stewardship initiatives.”

One of 20 Maine companies that took the ‘On the Pathway To 100% Clean Energy’ pledge, East Brown Cow’s solar array is designed to generate 3.2 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year. East Brown Cow will be selling its Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) as part of its broader commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. This strategic move allows the company to support green energy initiatives while optimizing the financial benefits of its renewable energy projects. Construction of the site began in September of 2023 and was completed in July of 2024. Now online and connected to the grid, it is one of the largest off-site, privately owned single off-taker solar farms ReVision Energy has built in the state of Maine.

“We are thrilled to once again collaborate with East Brown Cow,” said Dan Weeks, vice president of ReVision Energy’s business development. “Their commitment to renewable energy aligns with our mission to build a just and equitable electric future. This project is possible because of the opportunity presented by a local landowner keen on addressing the effects of climate change they were seeing on the local level. It’s a powerful example of how a company like East Brown Cow can develop a major solar farm to meet their energy needs if the effort is put in to identify the right local partners.”

This project is East Brown Cow’s sixth solar array and fifth completed in partnership with ReVision Energy. In 2017, the companies brought the first commercial solar canopy to a parking garage in Maine when 578 solar panels were affixed atop the company’s Fore St. Garage in the historic Old Port district of Portland. The canopy generates 232,235 kilowatt-hours of solar electricity every year, producing clean, renewable power for the adjacent Hyatt Place Hotel, offsetting over 23% of the hotel’s electrical consumption.