Poland Springs bottling plant to be partially powered by a 10-MW solar facility –

Nestlé Waters North
America announced last month that it intends to construct a 10-megawatt AC
(12.97-megawatt DC) solar project at its Poland Spring bottling plant
in Hollis, Maine. This proposed solar energy installation would supply
enough clean electricity to meet approximately 20-25% of the current energy
needs of the facility.

Once complete, the
project would occupy 47 acres of land, making it one of the largest contiguous
solar arrays in Maine, according to the company. The annual greenhouse gas
emission reductions from this project would be equivalent to producing enough
renewable electricity to power 1,998 homes annually, which is greater than the
number of homes in the Town of Hollis.

“At Poland Spring,
we have a well-established track record of managing Maine’s water
resources responsibly and sustainably for the long term.”
said Cameron Lorrain, Nestlé Waters North America Northeast Regional
Technical & Production Director. “With this project, we are planning
to go further and are proud to align with the greenhouse gas emission reduction
goals championed by Governor Janet Mills and recently codified
in Maine law.”

Commercial solar
installer, EnterSolar, is the project developer. The civil engineers are Sevee
& Maher Engineers.

Depending on timing for
permits from both the Town of Hollis and the Maine Department of
Environmental Protection, the proposed groundbreaking could begin as soon
as April 2021, with project completion estimated for Spring 2022.