GREENE — In one of the largest votes in town history, Greene residents Monday voted overwhelmingly to limit the size of solar energy systems within town limits. 

The vote put an end to Swift Current Energy’s plan to build a 600-acre solar array along parcels of private property in the CMP corridor.  

Roughly 400 locals turned out for the vote and, through a show of hands, they voted decisively in favor of an amendment to limit any and all solar power arrays to 15 acres. Code Enforcement Officer Brent Armstrong said it was the biggest turnout he can remember in his 20 years on the job. 

Proponents of the Swift Energy plan were drawn to the money that would have come to the town through the so-called Greene Apple Project, which planners said would result in payments totaling millions of dollars in new revenue to the town over the 20-30 year life of the project. 

Project planners said they had expected to pay more than $2 million to the town in the first year of operations and then approximately $1 million each year. The town’s current tax budget is around $2 million.   

The project also would have brought improvements to some roads without any cost to the Greene taxpayer. 

But concerns about the project were numerous.  

Some worried that the arrays would negatively impact the local environment in a variety of ways, including soil erosion and the disruption of natural habitats and wildlife migration patterns.  

Many deemed solar arrays in general as “an eyesore” and one that would diminish the charm of the town and possibly drop property values.  

“Our pretty little town will be turned into the largest solar plant in the state of Maine,” one woman cautioned, in an online discussion prior to the meeting Wednesday night. 

Others questioned whether solar power would still be considered practical years down the road, while some feared that their power bills would go up instead of down as a result of the project. 

The solar array would have been placed on private property; large parcels owned by George Schott and Vista of Maine. The project would cover 600-plus acres along the CMP corridor, from North Hills Ridge Road, near Vista of Maine, across Sawyer Road near the horse stable, along Bull Run Road to the property just across the Dead River. 

It wasn’t the first time that the people of Greene have said no to solar power. 

In 2022, residents voted down a measure that would have authorized the town to enter into a lease agreement and an associated easement agreement with Greene Apple Solar Power, a subsidiary of Swift Current Energy.  

During that vote, residents were largely against leasing the land to Greene Apple Solar Power because they wanted the land to be developed for recreation fields instead, as town officials suggested when the land was purchased several years ago. 

After Greene voters had their say Monday night, there was no official word from Swift Current Energy announcing the end to their plan. However, project planners had previously described the passing of the amendment as a deal breaker.