WISCASSET

A clean energy movement is making its way through the Mid-coast and a local Mainer, Ryan Nesbitt, is at the forefront with Arcadia Power, a national clean energy company based in Washington, D.C.

Nesbitt, born and raised in Wiscasset, is the co-founder of Arcadia Power. He pursued an engineering degree and performed health care work for the Clinton Foundation in Mozambique before creating Arcadia Power in 2014 with the idea of giving “anyone, anywhere an opportunity to choose clean energy.”

The company allows businesses and individuals to upgrade to 100 percent clean energy through their energy bill, without the hassle of equipment or other utilities. Customers pay 1.5 cents per killowatt-hour.

In less than a year, the company has grown to serve both residential and business customers in all 50 states, with a breadth of clients that spans all ages and incomes.

“We bet our jobs and spent our savings betting that people would be interested,” he said. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised at the response. We weren’t sure, but we had a hunch that people would sign up.”

Nesbitt said the company is focused on making clean energy affordable and relevant to appeal to the community, especially for those who cannot afford solar energy.

“Solar is a great thing and growing, but there’s a huge limit,” Nesbitt said. “What we do is we work primarily with wind farms, and it’s almost an alternative for people who can’t do solar, but still want to do renewable energy.”

Through the program, Arcadia Power purchases clean energy from renewable sources like wind farms through Renewable Energy Certificates and match the energy use of a home or business.

“Basically you match your usage each month with Renewable Energy Certificates from the renewable source — one of the wind farms we work with,” he said. “And in doing so, you’re buying the rights, you’re buying clean energy. That’s how clean energy is tracked in the U.S.”

Local businesses have recently hopped on board, including The Great Impasta, a Brunswick restaurant, that is one of the first businesses in the Mid-coast to adopt a clean energy program through Arcadia Power. Nesbitt was particularly excited to hear this news, especially since it was his mother’s favorite restaurant.

“We’ve been trying to figure out how to get in touch with people and we’ve reached out to a lot of businesses that have a reputation for sustainability and community involvement,” he said.

According to the company’s website, the average electricity in a home requires 5,000 gallons of water and more than 16,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. After converting to clean energy, those numbers would decrease to zero.

“No one has done a lot on educating the public on how energy impacts everything,” Nesbitt said. “The utility industry is not only the largest emitter of carbon dioxide pollution — it’s also the largest consumer of water.”

Overall, Nesbitt hopes to continue to spread the word and help community members understand that the option for clean energy is available and affordable.

“There’s been a really great reception,” he said. “Our whole premise is to make it easy, make it affordable and reach out and let people know that there was an option.”

More information about Arcadia Power can be found at www.arcadiapower.com.

dkim@timesrecord.com