ReVision Energy has become well known for designing, installing, and maintaining clean energy projects around Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire over the past two decades. Bill Behrens launched the company in 2003 as EnergyWorks, a division of the Green Store in Belfast, Maine, which sold solar products in the state before expanding into solar installation later that year. Fortunat Mueller and Phil Coupe reached out a couple of years later with interest in expanding the company to Portland, which became EnergyWorks South. By 2008, it had its current name, and by 2014, the company had installed 7 megawatts of solar. The company now has five branches, including the solar-panel-covered headquarters in South Portland, Maine.
ReVision develops both residential and commercial projects, with solar installation being a particular highlight. The company makes the case that “Solar is an economic opportunity” and explains to homeowners, who would benefit from the reliable systems with long lifecycles, that they also have the ability to lock in a consistent electricity price for 30 years or more. In addition, ReVision offers several avenues to make solar adoption more affordable. A team of Solar Advisors is available to discuss solar loan options for up to $100,000 that enable awardees to adopt solar “without needing to save or drain your bank accounts to cover the full cost of the solar system.” The company even offers a Solar Salute program for veterans, service members, and reserves, featuring $500 off solar systems and $250 off thermal energy systems.
“Solar is one of the best investments you can make for the longevity of your business,” it adds for commercial customers, as it promises a reduction in operating costs as well as a return on investment. There is an opportunity there for businesses of all sizes, ReVision notes, as installation prices have been cut in half over the past decade. Towns and municipalities benefit not only from electric cost savings but also from the ability to generate revenue from excess generation. ReVision also offers six- to twenty-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) to municipalities, which can lock in energy costs 50% to 75% lower than current utility costs. It offered its first PPA to the Good Will-Hinckley school in Fairfield, Maine, in 2011, helping save over $110,000. According to President Glenn Cummings, “Every cent we save on this electric bill will go to scholarships for kids who need help. That’s the biggest win for us.” Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, Maine, meanwhile, will see $800,000 in energy cost savings over the next 25 years from its 633-kilowatt rooftop array, installed in 2020.
Photo Courtesy ReVision Energy
Especially important for homeowners, small businesses, schools, and nonprofits is the energy independence that ReVision’s solar systems offer. Solar means less reliance on the grid and centralized energy sources. Using local power will shield them from price volatility and rate hikes. ReVision offers numerous other technologies to support this path to energy independence, including battery storage, air source heat pumps, water heaters, and electric vehicle chargers, “introducing the very real possibility of a 100% renewable energy household.”
Battery storage provides resilience for homes and businesses during power outages, while heat pumps can keep homes warm in temperatures as low as -20 Fahrenheit, with two to three times more efficiency than other technologies. A heat pump water heater, meanwhile, produces hot water with 200% to 600% greater efficiency than a resistive electric tank and without the load roar of an oil-fired boiler. Efficiency translates into cost savings; heat pumps powered by solar cost about 9 cents per kilowatt-hour to operate, while typical rates in New England are 29 cents per kilowatt-hour, the company says.
Numerous success stories demonstrate the impact of ReVision’s solar installations. Now-retired Bath Iron Works employee Barry Fifield explained his reasoning for going solar, “Home heating here in New England is where it’s at for solar. Heating is huge compared to an electric bill.” He told ReVision that because it installed a 9-kilowatt system on his home in Brunswick, Maine, “I retired 7 years early at age 58 because of my installation. I can’t believe how much money I’m saving!” Meanwhile, in 2018, ReVision installed an 11-kilowatt system on Split Rock Distilling’s tasting room and craft distillery in Newcastle, Maine, which will save $50,000 over the lifecycle of the 36 panels on its roof.
Photo Courtesy ReVision Energy
ReVision has also brought community solar to Maine and New Hampshire. After Revision builds large community solar farms, Central Maine Power customers can buy shares, and the solar energy generated by their portion of the farm results in credits on their monthly energy bills. In fact, ReVision was responsible for Maine’s first two community solar farms. Following one in South Paris in 2014, Revision added another in Edgecomb the following year. The owner of the land and one of the nine members who signed on to the 25-year agreement, David Nutt, said that joining the project would lower his electric bills from $80 to $10 or $15 per month.
Photo Courtesy ReVision Energy
ReVision is owned completely by its more than 400 employees, thanks to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Coupe summarized, “We are investing the future of our company in the exceptional people who have worked hard all these years to build ReVision Energy into one of the best solar companies in the world.” That dedication to employees is evident in good times and bad, as the Portland Economic Development Committee gave the company the 2020 Job Preserver Award for expanding employment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company encourages curiosity in its employees and invests in their development. The ReVision Energy Training Center (RETC), launched in 2018, exemplifies this dedication. The RETC’s programming is especially essential as the company expands at a historical 20% to 25% annual growth rate, in a region facing an electrician shortage and a national need to electrify rapidly.
For example, ReVision offers the four-year ReVision Energy Electrical Apprenticeship Program (REEAP) in Maine and New Hampshire, combining on-the-job training in building solar projects with technical instruction. It is the first employer-based apprenticeship program in the U.S. to meet the academic requirements for obtaining an electrical license. In 2022, the Maine Department of Labor awarded the company funding to expand its apprenticeship offerings, and by the end of last year, the program had helped more than 49 apprentices earn their licenses.
ReVision is also using initiatives to spread the message that “electricians will save the world.” In 2022, for example, the Maine Governor’s Office also awarded funding to the company for its outreach across the state, highlighting the importance of these types of careers. “Our campaign will clearly define solar career pathways and provide access to those pathways for individuals in the pre-apprenticeship, as well as for others seeking careers in solar,” Vaughan Woodruff, Director of the ReVision Energy Training Center, wrote in a blog post.
Photo Courtesy ReVision Energy
As a B Corp, ReVision is also dedicated to the environment. The company has committed to achieving net-zero by 2030, even hiring a Sustainability Coordinator in 2022. While all its offices use solar power, batteries, air source heat pumps, and LED lights, the company wants to go further by installing more solar and enhancing building insulation. Although it has already installed electric vehicle chargers and owned 16 EVs by the start of 2023, it wants an all-electric fleet by 2035.
On the education front, ReVision has focused on educating Maine’s youth on solar. To do this, the company introduced a “gentle giant” mascot named Sunsquatch, who teaches children about solar and the importance of nature, in addition to assisting parents and teachers broach those conversation topics. Every purchase from Sunsquatch’s merch store contributes $5 to support Solar on Schools.
The company’s work also clearly improves the environment and avoids local emissions. The company spotlights Solar Champions on its website, who, Bridget Sprague, vice president of marketing, explained to PV Magazine, are “customers who trust us enough to recommend ReVision to friends, family, and colleagues, or who return for additional products and services,” and who account for the majority of the company’s business. For example, Coast of Maine, a garden product company, will avoid 38,000 pounds of carbon emissions per year by using solar, which is the equivalent to the amount generated by charging 4,452 cell phones every day. CEO Erik Drake reflected, “Partnering with ReVision Energy aligns perfectly with our mission to care for the planet while delivering premium products. This project strengthens our long-term vision to grow sustainably — grow together, and it marks another important milestone in our ongoing journey to build a healthier future for our communities and the environment.” The solarversary cards that ReVision owner-employees send on anniversaries of such installations show just how committed the company is to its customers and the environment.
Photo Courtesy ReVision Energy
