By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
The Loring Development Authority held their regular board of trustees meeting in the LDA board room on Sept. 3. During an agenda item titled Project Updates, LDA President and CEO Carl Flora outlined a number of new business prospects and various other potential projects LDA is currently either in the process of, or has already completed in recent months, including Loring Solar II — a solar-powered electrical generation system recently installed at Loring — and a number of other projects involving parties like Global Mega Recycling and Karl Hoose of Applied Thermal Sciences, who continues to develop his missile technology and Loring’s airport is still a potential location for testing.
Contributed photo
A ground view of one of the most recent completed projects at Loring. “Loring Solar II,” as it’s been dubbed, is a solar-powered electrical generation system that is said to produce enough electricity to power 50 average-sized Maine homes.
Perhaps one of the largest of the most recently completed projects at Loring is Loring Solar II, built by the Power Company of Washington, Maine. The company has just completed the largest photo-voltaic system to date in Maine. The array known as Loring Solar II consists of 720,275 Watt solar modules placed on 30 dual-axis tracking devices. The equipment will be leased to LDA, and produce enough electricity to power 50 average sized Maine homes.
The Power Company and LDA jointly announced the beginning of construction of a 200 KW solar energy project at Loring earlier this year. The project is the second solar-powered electrical generation system to be installed for LDA by The Power Company and was completed right on schedule, according to the joint statement made earlier this year.
Flora stated that the project is a good example of the type of economic opportunity offered at Loring.
“We have abundant sunshine, thousands of acres of property, hundreds of buildings and a lot of grid capacity. Loring has become an incubator for advanced energy research and development.”
Under the terms of a special lease agreement, LDA will act as host and off-taker of the electricity. In exchange, LDA leases the equipment and realizes a net saving in electric costs.
An earlier project, dubbed “Loring Solar I,” was completed in the fall of 2012. It is a 50 KW fixed ground-mount system consisting of 216 U.S. made solar modules. In contrast, Loring Solar II consists of 30 dual-axis tracking devices. The solar trackers follow the movement of the sun daily and seasonally. The direct fixation of the panels on the sunlight increases the efficiency by as much as 40 percent. Each tracker holds 24 U.S.-made modules. The two projects will have a combined annual production of approximately 385 megawatts hours per year or enough electricity to power 55 average Maine homes. They will offset carbon production by 250 tons annually.
The project was installed by Maine Energy Performance Solutions and owned and operated by Loring Solar II LLC. Financing will be provided by Coastal Enterprises Incorporated of Wiscasset.
“Solar development of this sort is now just beginning to happen in Maine,” stated Rich Simon, president of the Power Company. “It takes a willingness of all parties to think outside the box a bit to make things happen.”
Flora also announced that Global Mega Recycling is continuing to pursue plans to establish a tire and plastics recycling plant at the former Alert Hangar complex. GMR holds an option on this property for which they pay a monthly fee. An engineering consulting firm, CES, has been retained to assist GMR with permits and plant configuration and building modifications.
As for Hoose and Applied Thermal Sciences, the option of Loring acting as a test site for some of Hoose’s missile technology is currently being considered. According to Flora, crack sealing has helped keep the airport pavement in good condition, but without access to federal funding for airports, LDA doesn’t have the wherewithal to do extensive pavement work.
The importance of maintaining the airport was discussed at the meeting, and it was stressed that it is a significant asset for Loring and the state. An unmanned aerial vehicle project and other research and development activities may be the best fit for Loring’s aviation complex.
Flora said that other prospects discussed recently include a data center, a small food processor and some Maine Military Authority projects that require LDA assistance.
