ENERGY
Clean Renewable Energy
We have the solutions we need to increase our energy independence and resilience through renewables, and decrease our overall energy use through conservation and efficiency. It’s about implementing the solutions in a way that is swift, just, and regenerative.
At CEBE, we believe a resilient and regenerative approach to energy will:
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Produce affordable renewable energy for all, through a distributed and democratized network of local and regional production
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Electrify everything! Harness our local renewable resources instead of importing polluting fuels from out of state and exporting profits
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Radically increase energy efficiency and dramatically reduce fossil fuel consumption
Our energy projects strive to increase our energy independence and decrease overall use, through efficiency and conservation. A network of renewable energy production (primarily solar and wind) spread across our region will strengthen our economy by keeping our energy dollars local (Maine produces no fossil fuels), and will increase community resilience to price fluctuations and supply disruptions. These efforts will support energy affordability and reduce emissions, benefiting our communities in the short- and long-term.
Our volunteer-led Energy Working Group meets monthly online to brainstorm new projects, support existing efforts, and share opportunities to engage in advocacy. Find upcoming meetings here.
Current Projects
Energy Cafe
Interested in learning more about your energy use or where you could save money? Curious about EVs, heat pumps or even just keen to better understand your electricity bill, and why it keeps going up?
Join us for our monthly Energy Cafe, where CEBE staff and community energy experts will try to answer your questions. From 5-7pm at CEBE on the second Thursday of the month, each Energy Cafe has a theme and presentation, typically starting around 5:30pm, followed by plenty of time for questions, whether they’re related to the theme or other energy topics on your mind.
EV Ambassadors
As the western Maine chapter of Drive Electric Maine, we’re working to launch an EV Ambassadors program.
Have EV questions or want to share your experience? Contact us at driveelectric(at)ecologybasedeconomy(dot)org.
MSAD17 Energy Coaching
Through outside funding, we’ve been able to provide no-cost energy coaching, offer assessment tools, and identify cost saving measures for our local school district since 2022. We began with energy audits of and evaluations of heating systems at the district’s 12 buildings. Based on that information, we’ve recommended beneficial electrification changes including; lighting upgrades, HVAC upgrades, electricity rate changes, and community solar subscription. The district saved an estimated $83,572 in the first year after converting to LED lighting, and is on track for an additional $120,000 in electricity savings in its first year of community solar and rate changes. This partnership continues to provide more comfortable spaces for our students to learn in that are both warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, while saving taxpayer dollars and reducing wasted energy.
Past Projects
Maine Community Power Cooperative
CEBE incubated MCPC from an idea in 2015 to a federally-funded cooperative operating independently of CEBE in 2024. This journey included receiving technical assistance from the U.S. Dept. of Energy in 2017, advocating for reformed solar legislation in the state of Maine, receiving the first and second phase awards of the Energizing Rural Communities Prize, and finally, receiving $5 million in funding from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, which became the funding to fully launch and scale the cooperative. The first sites were built in 2025, with electrons beginning to flow from the sun to local low- and middle-income subscribers in January of 2026. Read more about our history developing MCPC here, and visit their website here.
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The 15,000-square-foot former snowshoe factory, once renovated, will both use and conserve a significant amount of energy. By finding community-scale interventions, we see our impact grow. Knowing that Lights Out will be a public space for decades to come, the energy efficiency improvements, solar on the roof, and more can inspire visitors to make changes of their own at home. The revitalization of a historic building to an exemplar of energy efficiency is particularly relevant to our area, which is full of leaky and under-weatherized homes. Our climate will be made more livable for our community by retrofitting the buildings we have as quickly as possible.
“CEBE has helped us think beyond simple upgrades and toward long-term community impact,” said Daniel Sipe, co-founder of Lights Out Gallery. “Through their support in writing this grant and the technical assistance they offered, we are creating a project that serves both the climate and the community.”
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Partnership with Lights Out Gallery
From 2025-2026, we worked with Lights Out to develop a Green Master Plan and Retrofit of their headquarters at the historic snowshoe factory in Norway. CEBE completed a roadmap detailing existing conditions, expected future energy use, and comparing technology options and recommendations for staff at Lights Out. Using this as a shortlist of next steps, the team submitted a proposal for the next stage of funding through an implementation grant.
Community Driven Energy Workshops
In the fall of 2024, we co-hosted with A Climate to Thrive a workshop series supported through the Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies (SOLVE IT) Prize for residents of Norway, Otisfield, and West Paris. We focused on community-driven energy solutions combined with listening sessions to foster initial ideas, cultivate energy literacy, and build local leadership towards energy resilience in our communities. Read more about what came out of these workshops here.
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Municipal Community Solar
From planning in 2019 through the project coming online in 2023, CEBE supported developer UGE and the Town of Norway to collaborate on building a community solar farm on Norway's capped landfill. CEBE assisted in subscribing local businesses to the farm, and the municipality now benefits from both an annual lease fee and discounted electricity, where previously the landfill was only a liability. We celebrated this project's completion in June 2023 with the community.
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​Energy / Solar & EV Expo
From 2015 to 2025, we hosted eleven annual EV ride-and-drive events that expanded to include solar and energy solutions. Our first event took place in Longley Square, home to the first public EV charger in western Maine (since upgraded to two networked plugs). In 2015, EVs were quite rare, and most people didn’t know where to go to buy one or test drive one. Paris Auto Barn served the community for many years as our local used EV dealer, bringing increasingly affordable EVs to the region. With our expanding network of public chargers across western Maine, our rural communities began to be a hotspot for EVs.
Our later Expos featured dozens of EVs, privately-owned and those for sale at more conventional dealerships. The majority of attendees were familiar with EVs, knew where to go to buy one, and many were considering their second EV. We found that after 11 years of hosting the Expo, EVs had moved from niche to mainstream. We work to continue what we felt were the most valuable parts of the Expo - one-on-one conversations between neighbors - in the new format of our monthly Energy Cafes.
Energy Resources
Check out some of our favorite online resources, and stop by CEBE to borrow books from our lending library on solar, passive house construction, and more.
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CEBE's Energy Literacy Packet - an introduction to energy terms and definitions
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Rewiring America's personal electrification planner
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CMP rate analysis tool developed by CEBE Board Steward Michael Dunn
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Schools and municipalities: contact us for commercial rate resources
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Hannah Ritchie's "Does that use a lot of energy?" tool
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College of the Atlantic's 10 Steps to Lower Home Energy Costs
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Colin McCullough's DIY Home Weatherization slides and recorded presentation
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Efficiency Maine's home rebates
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​Efficiency Maine's home energy calculator
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Southern Maine Energy Navigator - free assistance for homeowners and renters who want to make energy upgrades
