Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works (DPW) and officials from the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) and Standard Solar officially celebrated the completion of a solar project providing clean energy to the Bureau of Utility Operations (BUO) Complex in Millersville.
The “Flip the Switch” celebration highlighted the capital project that consists of a combination of four carports and seven rooftop solar arrays, producing 1.3 MW of power.
DPW engineers utilized a $3 Million Alternate Source of Energy Project Grant from the Maryland Department of Environment’s Energy Water Infrastructure Program (EWIP). The EWIP grant represents 73% of the $4,110,394 total project investment. The project will offset more than 90% of the current electricity demand at the complex.
“Congratulations to DPW on the project and we hope there are many more,” said Executive Pittman. “You don’t think about DPW as environmental movers and shakers in the county but they are. We want all the electricity that County facilities use to be renewable, either produced here or purchased as renewable by the year 2030.”
Standard Solar was selected by Anne Arundel County to design and build the carport and rooftop solar arrays.
“This project holds great significance in advancing Maryland closer to its ambitious clean energy goals and its leadership within the nationwide clean energy transition,” said Daryl Pilon, director of business development at Standard Solar. “The strategic collaboration with Anne Arundel County exemplifies our dedication to forging partnerships that drive environmental stewardship and enable entities to effectively manage and curtail energy-related costs. We take great pride in having developed this successful carport/rooftop project within our home state of Maryland. Congratulations to both the Anne Arundel County Public Works team and all contributors involved on this meaningful initiative.”
The system is expected to satisfy more than 90% of the total annual electricity needs of the BUO Complex.
The electricity generated from the solar panels will be applied to the electricity accounts for the complex through BGE’s Net Aggregate Metering program. As the county becomes more energy efficient at the complex, solar electricity could exceed demand. In April of each year, BGE is required to refund the County for any unused solar electricity over the previous 12 months.
News item from Standard Solar
