Via the Mount Desert Islander:

Acadia National Park has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help install rooftop solar panels and 12 electric vehicle charging stations at park headquarters. In addition, Friends of Acadia (FOA) has secured a $500,000 grant from the National Park Foundation for the solar project.

The solar panels will be installed atop the park’s 32,000-square-foot maintenance building that is under construction and are expected to generate more than 50 percent of the energy used by the new maintenance building. They will generate direct energy cost savings of about $61,000 a year.

Read the full story from the Mount Desert Islander.

Friends of Acadia is providing support to the solar panel project in two valuable ways. We’ve secured a $500K grant from the National Park Foundation to add to the $1 million for solar at the maintenance building.

We will also be buying two electric vehicles (EVs) for the park as our philanthropic match to the Department of Energy’s $1 million grant. Those funds will likely come from our 2021 Friends of Acadia Annual Benefit Paddle Raise, Greening Acadia, which raised $330K to help Acadia become more climate friendly and energy smart.

“Friends of Acadia is thrilled to provide philanthropic support to help the park lower its carbon footprint and model climate-responsible solutions,” said Eric Stiles, Friends of Acadia’s president and CEO. “This project also allows the National Park Service to reinvest the savings in the park. Climate change is a top threat to Acadia National Park, and we need to think globally and act locally. We thank the Maine congressional delegation for their leadership and support.”

Acadia Superintendent Kevin Schneider told the Mount Desert Islander,“We are blown away by the support we have gotten for this project, from the Department of Energy…and the generous commitments made by both Friends of Acadia and the National Park Foundation. These investments are going to help make a greener, more sustainable Acadia.”

Read the full story from the Mount Desert Islander: Acadia gets $1.5 million for solar, EV projects

Additional info:
Find more details on the project – including ongoing updates – on the Acadia National Park website:
Acadia National Park Maintenance Facility

Acadia breaks ground on new Maintenance Facility