A Boston-based impact investment firm, Arctaris Impact Investors, and Saddleback Mountain, the largest independent ski resort in Maine, have announced the completion and activation of a 7 MW solar field at the ski resort near Rangeley, Maine.
In January 2020, Arctaris partnered with the State of Main to purchase the Saddleback property. The resort re-opened in December 2020 after nearly eight years of being shuttered.
After examining the 6,000-plus acre property more closely for real estate development opportunities in 2023 and beyond, Arctaris identified solar development as a way to improve its approach to powering the mountain.
Saddleback chose to engage with Nexamp for the construction of the new 31-acre community solar farm on its property, which utilizes less than 1% of Saddleback’s entire available real estate. The 7 MW of clean energy current being generated by the system will more than double the mountain lodge’s current annual electricity consumption.
Along with the new solar field, Saddleback and Arctaris have also completed construction on Saddleback House, a ski-in/ski-out affordable mountainside housing unit capable of accommodating up to 80 people. The house will offer short-term rental accommodations to resort employees, reducing reliance on older or unaffordable seasonal housing in the region.
