MaineHealth works to engineer a greener future

The solar panels are an integral part of MaineHealth’s mission to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Image courtesy of MaineHealth

When The Glickman Lauder Center of Excellence (GLCOE) in Autism and Developmental Disorders of MaineHealth in Portland, Maine, opened a new 28,000-square-foot facility in August 2021, it opened the path to install technology that would help it achieve its sustainability goals. 

The installation of solar panels on GLCOE’s roof supports MaineHealth’s commitment to environmental sustainability, with a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2027 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The building was designed to reduce heat transfer and uses a high-efficiency electric heat pump system. The panels were installed in the fall of 2022 and have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 13,329-plus pounds, equal to planting more than 100 trees, and those numbers continue to rise. GLCOE’s commitment to sustainability and public engagement are demonstrated daily, with energy use and savings documented in real time.

“The modules provide the highest energy production for cost ratio and produce [direct current] electricity at a rate proportionate to the available sunlight,” according to Matt Bush, commercial project manager for New England-based ReVision Energy, which manufactured and installed the panels.

“Our sustainability efforts reflect the care taken during the five-year planning process to bring our vision to life,” says Matthew Siegel, M.D., vice president of medical affairs at MaineHealth’s Maine Behavioral Healthcare.