- 6.4 MW Solar Capacity
- 2,421 Tons Annual CO2 Equivalent Avoided
- 8.6 million kWh Annual Energy Production
PowerFlex Partners With Nautilus Solar Energy to Bring Large-Scale Community Solar to Maine
Nautilus Solar Energy is a national financer and operator of front-of-the-meter community solar projects that connect residents and businesses to low-cost renewable energy without requiring customers to install equipment on their own property. Nautilus selected PowerFlex to handle engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) for the Shaker Solar Farm, a 6.4-megawatt (MW) ground-mounted community solar array in Gray, Maine.
Building on Wooded Wetlands Without Major Ecological Disruption
Constructing the Shaker project meant confronting a series of environmental challenges. The site is situated between two major highways, with a dense collection of trees cutting through the land — not the typical open field associated with solar farms. Clearing trees would have caused widespread environmental disruption, undermining the sustainability mission at the core of the community solar project. Meanwhile, the waterlogged terrain made for challenging surface conditions.
required careful engineering and site management to ensure a safe and secure installation.
A Two-Section Design That Worked Around Nature
INSTALLATION TYPE
- Ground-Mount Solar
INSTALLATION SIZE
- 6.4 MW
LOCATION
- Gray, ME
ANNUAL ENERGY PRODUCTION
8,564,431 kWh
PowerFlex applied its EPC expertise to develop a two-section installation strategy that allowed the project to move forward without wholesale tree removal. By dividing the array, PowerFlex was able to build around the wooded area and preserve the site's natural landscape while maximizing panel density and energy output. To manage the muddiness of the land, PowerFlex employed careful engineering and site management techniques that ensured a safe and secure installation.
The result is a fully operational 6.4-MW community solar installation that generates 8,564,431 kWh of clean electricity annually, providing offtakers in the surrounding community with emissions-free energy at competitive rates.
