Roughly 1,800 community solar customers in Maine will not receive their expected bill credits this month because some solar project sponsors failed to pay a newly required state charge. Central Maine Power has started notifying affected customers that it cannot apply the credits generated by their community solar projects. Under state law and Maine Public Utilities Commission rules, utilities cannot apply credits to subscribers when a project sponsor has not paid. A notice provided by a CBS13 viewer showed that at least one affected sponsor is Novel Energy Solutions, which operates several community solar projects in western Maine under the Join Solar name. The Maine Public Utilities Commission has not opened a formal proceeding, but its rules allow sanctions including fines, restitution, cease-and-desist orders and removal from the Net Energy Billing program.