The Maine Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) was selected by the federal Department of Energy (DOE) to receive a $65 million grant to aid in the adoption of new technologies designed to help Maine’s electrical grid to better support the transmission of “clean energy.”

Known as Flexible Interconnections and Resilience for Maine (FIRM), this project represents a collaboration between the State of Maine, Central Maine Power (CMP), and Versant Power.

The goal of FIRM, as stated in Friday’s press release, is to “deploy cutting-edge software and hardware to enhance grid stability, regulate voltage, and increase transmission capacity on existing lines” to help “deliver more clean energy to Maine households and businesses.”

A fact sheet from the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO) further explains that this project hopes to “create a more modern and dynamic grid that will drive robust deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs) and renewable energy deployment in Maine will increasing resilience and ensuring affordability for customers.”

Click Here to Read the GDO Fact Sheet

This $65 million award comes through the GDO’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program which was funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Friday’s GEO press release lists several goals that the technology deployed through the use of this grant will accomplish, such as “connect[ing] more renewable energy to the power grid while also protecting the grid from overloading.”

The statement also explains that the technology set to be deployed is designed to “more flexibly manage intermittent sources of power like wind and solar through better voltage control,” and “enable the efficient, automated flow of more clean energy through the grid while lowering interconnection costs.”

According to the American Clean Power Association, “interconnection” is the process of connecting new sources of electricity — such as wind and solar — into the electric grid.

Based on the information included in the GDO fact sheet — sourced from the project application as of October 2024 — it appears that Maine will be matching this federal funding dollar for dollar, with a “recipient cost share” of $65,359,234.

Click Here to Read the GEO’s Full Press Release

“In order to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and embrace clean energy, we must make sure that Maine has a strong electrical grid that can accept power from multiple sources and deliver it efficiently and reliably to Maine people and businesses,” said Gov. Janet Mills (D) in a statement Friday.

“That’s why my Administration, through innovative projects like these, is focused on working with Maine’s utilities to strengthen and modernize our electrical infrastructure. We want to build the grid of the future, and programs like this – with Federal support – are moving us in that direction,” Gov. Mills continued. “I thank Maine’s Congressional Delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration for their support and for this investment, which was made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

“In recent years, severe and extreme weather have damaged communities across Maine, reinforcing the urgent need for our state to take the necessary steps to preserve our energy and grid resilience,” said Maine’s Congressional Delegation, including Sens. Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I), as well as Reps. Jared Golden (D) and Chellie Pingree (D).

“This $65 million grant from the Department of Energy is a major step forward in ensuring our communities have the tools and resources to protect themselves from threats of dangerous weather and climate change,” the lawmakers continued.

“This funding will also help spur new and innovative energy-saving technologies, helping Mainers keep the lights on while also saving them money,” they concluded. “Thanks to historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — which we were proud to support — programs like the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership will be able to meet the growing demand for grid stability and energy resiliency for years to come.”

Throughout this year, Maine has received millions of dollars in federal taxpayers’ dollars for various efforts related to the pursuit of clean energy, including for the construction of a wind turbine project and corresponding transmission line, as well as to help hasten the adoption of heat pump technology.

As part of the Power Up New England project — which received a $389 million grant “to strengthen the regional electric grid and advance the deployment of clean energy” — Form Energy was awarded $147 million to construct a multi-day energy storage system in Lincoln that it says will “enhance grid resilience and optimize the delivery of renewable energy.”

Using these funds, Form Energy will develop an 85-megawatt storage facility at the Lincoln Technology Park that utilizes “iron-air technology” to allow the battery to continuously discharge energy for just over four days.

In September, the State launched a $36 million Home Energy Rebate Program funded by federal tax dollars allocated by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and designed to help owners of manufactured homes and multifamily buildings to pursue energy-efficient options.

This $36 million initiative represents half of Maine’s $72 million allocation from IRA, the remainder of which will be used to launch a separate program that is expected to be available for Mainers in early 2025.

Under the program, eligible low-income manufactured homeowners will be able to receive up to $14,000 worth of rebates, including $8,000 for a whole-home heat pump, $4,000 for an electrical panel, and $2,500 for electrical wiring.

In July, Maine businesses were awarded a combined $4.3 million in federal funding to make “clean energy investments,” primarily in the form of solar panels.

Comprising this funding are more than forty separate grants to businesses and one nearly $2 million loan to West Gardiner SPV for a ground-mounted solar project.

These awards came through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.

According to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the Inflation Reduction Act made “the single largest investment in climate and energy in American history, enabling America to tackle the climate crisis, advancing environmental justice, securing America’s position as a world leader in domestic clean energy manufacturing.”

REAP is designed to provide “grants and loans to agriculture producers and rural small businesses to help them make energy efficiency improvements and install renewable systems that save money and are more environmentally friendly.”