Solar energy developers One Energy Renewables (OneEnergy), CleanChoiceEnergy (CCE) and Standard Solar have completed four of a nine-project pipeline of projects in Maryland totalling 24MW in capacity.
As part of Maryland’s Community Solar Pilot Program, the projects enable Maryland residents to save up to 10% on their utility bills based on electricity generated by the projects.
The portfolio is projected to benefit 5,000+ Maryland households annually through community solar subscriptions.
The nine projects are located across five different Maryland counties and three utility territories.
All the projects are “dual-use”, which means they will function as solar farms and pollinator habitats.
Additionally, the 39,000 megawatt-hours a year of energy the portfolio is expected to produce is equivalent to offsetting 30 million pounds of coal burned.
Standard Solar funded the construction and will own and operate the projects long-term.
OneEnergy partnered with the landowners to site, permit and design the projects, and CCE is responsible for the customer acquisition to sign up Maryland residents.
Standard Solar director of business development Eric Partyka said: “By teaming up with the talented development team at OneEnergy on this statewide portfolio, Standard Solar is helping Maryland reach its renewable energy goals and reinforcing its commitment to Maryland.
“Adding these nine dual-use community solar projects to our ownership portfolio aligns with our goal to increase access to renewable energy for communities across Maryland and of being responsible stewards of environmental resources.”
Together, the projects help Maryland meet its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) targets and contribute significant capacity to Maryland’s community solar market.
Maryland currently ranks seventeenth in the country for solar capacity, with enough solar installed to power more than 153,000 homes.
OneEnergy vice president Marni Caroll said: “We are proud to help make solar energy another crop for our landowners, enabling many to maintain farms that have been in their families for generations.
“Each project will feature new habitat for native pollinators, which contribute to one in every three bites of food we eat.
“These projects demonstrate that community solar can benefit the electric grid we depend on, the air we breathe, and the farmlands we love.”
The projects are named after butterflies, pollinator plants and other local natural landmarks.