Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works installs solar system to power its Bureau of Utility Operations
A 1.3 MW solar system is providing 1,645 MWh of annual clean electricity to the Bureau of Utility Operations (BUO) Complex in Millersville, Massachusetts. The system provides 90% of the Complex’s annual electricity needs and consists of four carports made of 1,400 panels and seven rooftop arrays made of 1,532 panels.
The system was partially funded by Governor Hogan’s Energy Water Infrastructure Program. Engineers utilized a $3 Million Alternate Source of Energy Project Grant from the Maryland Department of Environment’s Energy Water Infrastructure Program, a grant that represented 73% of the total project investment.
Standard Solar developed the BUO project in partnership with the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works (DPW).
“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.”
The electricity generated from the solar panels is applied to the electricity accounts for the Complex through BGE’s Net Aggregate Metering program. Given the increased energy efficiency at the facility, solar electricity may exceed demand each year. Therefore, each spring BGE refunds Anne Arundel County for any unused solar electricity over the previous 12 months.
The “Flip the Switch” celebration was held in the fall of 2023 to highlight the completion of the project. The event was attended by Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, officials from the DPW and the Maryland Department of Environment, and Standard Solar.
“Congratulations to DPW on the project and we hope there are many more,” said Mr. 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.”
The arrays will help Maryland reach its ambitious goals of 50% of clean energy by 2030 and 100% by 2040. About 1,600 Solar Renewable Energy Credits are also generated annually.
