Deer Isle town office’s rooftop solar installation remains unconnected
see original on Penobscot Bay Press
Published 2026-02-19T13:50:15-05:00
by Jack Beaudoin
Solar panels have been installed at the Deer Isle town hall. Switching the building to solar power is part of a months-long effort by Deer Isle and Stonington, who both received a grant to outfit solar panels on town buildings. Deer Isle Town Manager Jim Fisher said the panels are in place and the accompanying battery storage systems are set to be installed in the coming weeks. BY WILL ROBINSON
DEER ISLE—The panels are up and the grid is ready, but a key connection that would enable the Deer Isle Town Office’s rooftop solar installation to begin service remains, well, unconnected.
At the select board’s February 12 meeting, Town Manager Jim Fisher said the panels and accompanying battery storage system were to be linked to the Versant Power Company electrical grid earlier that day. Unfortunately, the utility pole nearest the Town Office proved too short to provide adequate height and length of the connecting cable. The next window for installation is now sometime in the next two to three weeks, he said.
“I had hoped they would be operational in time for Town Meeting,” said Fisher, who has championed the project from its inception.
Switching the building to solar power is part of an 18-month effort by both Deer Isle and Stonington, funded mostly by a $200,000 state grant (split between the towns) to outfit solar panels on municipal buildings. In November of 2025, the towns partnered with Bar Harbor based solar contractor PV Maine to design the systems and install the panels and batteries.
Ten months later, in September 2025, the Deer Isle select board allocated an additional $11,600 for its solar project. At the time, Fisher said the unexpected cost covered a Versant Power charge to upgrade the electrical infrastructure around the town office, which was necessary to sell power back to the utility company. That capacity will significantly lower or possibly eliminate the building’s electrical bill.
Village Partnership grant
Fisher also informed the board that the town had secured a grant from the Maine Department of Transportation’s Village Partnership Initiative to improve traffic safety at the intersection of Routes 15 and 15A in the town’s village district. The project will use visual indicators including road paint striping, signage and flexible surface mount delineators to provide drivers with a clear sense of lane direction and width for both roads. The intersection has been an ongoing concern for pedestrians, residents and local business owners because of the speed of vehicles traveling on Route 15.
“DOT will collect data both before and after the intervention,” Fisher said, in order to measure its efficacy. The state will fund the flexible surface mount delineators, while the town will foot the bill for new striping.
“The Village Partnership Initiative is designed to be available to all willing communities that have or can agree upon a local vision,” the MaineDOT website explains. “Village projects can vary from small, spot improvements to large, once-in-a-lifetime investments if we can successfully partner to access federal discretionary funds. … Investments must be made in a way that balances the use and safety of all village patrons, whether in automobile, walking or bicycling. To that end, improvements should result in speed limits and actual average speeds of 30 miles per hour or less and provide for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists in a balanced approach.”
Publication Data
title: Deer Isle town office’s rooftop solar installation remains unconnected
date: 2026-02-19T13:50:15-05:00
outlet: Penobscot Bay Press
words: 555