COST SAVING COMMUNITY ENERGY FOR MAINE BUSINESSES
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Ampion connects Maine businesses and organizations with cleaner, more resilient energy from fuel cell projects through Community Energy. Your Ampion subscription helps lower your energy costs and protect the environment. Community Energy is one of the easiest ways to support cleaner, more resilient energy and save money while you’re doing it! CMP utility customers save up to 10% on their annual electricity spend, and Versant customers save up to 12%.
Ampion is partnering with Bloom Energy to connect Maine businesses with subscriptions of cleaner energy from local fuel cell projects.
Have questions? Get in touch with us!
signup@ampion.net
(800) 277-3631
Why Ampion?
Help the planet
Joining Ampion is an easy way to help the environment by using solar energy to power communities like yours.
Save money
Thanks to your state's renewable energy incentive programs, Ampion members receive regular savings on their electricity bills.
No hassles, headaches or fees
Think of it as “solar as a service” — with no equipment to buy, install, maintain or worry about, you get to experience all the benefits of Community Solar without the hassles.
Available to all
Ampion is available to homeowners, renters and just about anyone who pays a utility bill, making it easy to take part in sustainable change and access real savings.
HOW FUEL CELLS WORK
Fuel and air pass through the fuel cells and electrochemically react to produce electricity.
The electricity is sent to the grid. The utility measures the value of the electricity that is produced on your behalf.
Renewable energy credits are applied to your electric bills, reducing what you pay to the utility.
Save up to 10 or 12%, depending on your utility! Ampion ensures you receive the correct amount of credits and that your reporting needs are met.
Public benefit corporation
Ampion’s mission is to make it easy for everyone to access clean, renewable energy. As a Public Benefit Corporation, our success is defined by how well we serve the greater good, not just the profits we earn.
Still have questions?
That’s ok, Community Energy is new to most people. Lots of our customers had questions before they signed up so we compiled a list of some of the most common questions below.
What is a fuel cell?
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts fuel directly to electricity without combustion. It is like a battery in that its power is generated via direct chemical reaction, but unlike a battery, fuel cells continue to supply power as long as fuel is supplied. This direct chemical reaction is important as it speaks to the extremely high efficiency of fuel cells. Rather than losing energy to convert from chemical to thermal, thermal to mechanical, and mechanical to electrical, as with other electricity generation options, it’s all done in one step.
How do fuel cells differ from Community Solar?
The output, or capacity factor, of a fuel cell is more than six times greater than that of Community Solar. This means fuel cells generate more electricity – and more credits for subscribers – for each megawatt of capacity that is deployed. i.e. a 1 MW fuel cell project produces more electricity than a 1 MW Community Solar project.
That high-capacity factor has another implication as well. It means fuel cells generate electricity during those peak times when the grid needs it the most, so fuel cells create more value by reducing peak loads on the system.
Finally, one of the biggest advantages of fuel cells is their small footprint – solar takes up ~125x more space if you look at it in terms of output per square meter. This incredibly small footprint allows fuel cells to be built in places like parking lots and industrial spaces. No trees need to be cut.
What type of land are the fuel cells built on (e.g., conservation land, farmland, wetlands, roadsides, capped landfills, commercial roofs, sandpits, etc.)?
The fuel cell project will be built on commercial and industrial properties near areas of high energy demand.
Who owns and maintains the fuel cells?
Ampion has partnered with Bloom Energy to deploy fuel cell community energy projects. Bloom Energy owns the fuel cell project and will maintain the system over its 20-year life.
What are the key contract terms?
The agreement has all the details, but here’s a breakdown of the key contract terms:
- No sign-up costs
- 10% discount on every net energy billing credit received through CMP; and 12% for every net energy billing credit received through Versant
- 10-year term, which auto-renews every 5 years throughout the life of the project unless either party cancels
- Option to terminate early with no fees during the “notice to cancel” period by finding a replacement subscriber
What is the incentive for subscribers – do they get a percentage discount on their bill?
Community energy customers will receive utility bill credits for using power produced by the fuel cells. CMP subscribers are eligible for a 10% discount on every net energy billing credit received and Versant subscribers are eligible for a 12% discount on every net energy billing credit received.
What happens with the fuel cell components at the end of the lease? Are the components recycled?
At the end of the life of the project, the fuel cell developer, Bloom Energy, will decommission and restore the property to its original form. Per 2021 public reporting, Bloom recycles 98% of its product by weight.
How long does it take to install a fuel cell project?
The fuel cell equipment can be installed within 3 months, but some site-specific work may take as long as 12 months.
