AUGUSTA — Clean energy supporters made their voices heard at the State House Thursday, encouraging lawmakers to support bills that will push the state to adopt renewable energy and add new protections for consumers.

Brayden House, a solar electrician apprentice, said uncertainty around federal tax credits is a concern for union workers who rely on new projects to get good paying jobs.

“Green energy and solar aren’t just jobs, they are the foundation of a lifelong career for hundreds if not thousands of Mainers,” he said during a news conference.

As lawmakers gathered in the House and Senate chambers to begin work for the day, more than 100 renewable energy supporters worked the hallways with signs and chants.

The Power Maine Forward coalition is pushing for three bills now pending before the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee:

• LD 1868, which sets a goal of requiring 90% of the state’s electricity to come from renewable resources by 2040
• LD 1270, which establishes a cabinet-level Department of Energy in Maine
• LD 1949, which directs the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules prohibiting utilities from disconnecting residential customers for nonpayment if the customer or household member is seeking help from an assistance program and is 65 or older or under 1 year of age.

Groups behind the Power Maine Forward coalition include the Maine Renewable Energy Association, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Maine Audubon, Sierra Club, Maine Conservation Voters, and the Maine People’s Alliance.

Dale Knapp of Walden Renewables said his company is building a 20-megawatt solar farm in Sanford that employs 125 people.

“It’s more than just the jobs that are directly tied to the construction of the facility, they are going to the gas station in town, they are getting a sandwich there, they are acquiring equipment at the hardware store,” he said.

Knapp said developers want to see consistent policy from the state that gives them certainty.

“The policy signals we send right now to the industry will determine whether Maine remains a place where clean energy companies like ours continue to want to invest,” he said.