Hogan administration funding initiative advances climate and clean energy goals, saves local jurisdictions money

HOGAN ADMINISTRATION FUNDING INITIATIVE ADVANCES CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY GOALS, SAVES LOCAL JURISDICTIONS MONEY

Energy Water Infrastructure Program grant, approved today, supports Anne Arundel county solar project

BALTIMORE (Aug. 11, 2021) – A $3 million state grant will help fund a solar energy project that will provide nearly all of the electricity needed to power an Anne Arundel County government operations center.

The grant, from the Hogan administration’s Energy Water Infrastructure Program, will help pay for the design and construction of a solar photovoltaic array at the Anne Arundel County Bureau of Utility Operations complex. It is the latest in a series of grants that advance climate progress through clean and renewable energy projects while reducing energy costs at water and wastewater facilities across Maryland.

“The Hogan administration is committed to bipartisan climate action and that includes helping communities and counties like Anne Arundel meet our aggressive clean and renewable energy goals,” said Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles.

“Deploying solar to support our state’s water and wastewater resources is an essential nexus between sustaining these critical operations while driving progress towards Maryland’s clean energy, resiliency, climate and economic development objectives,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director Dr. Mary Beth Tung. “The Strategic Energy Investment Fund is an essential resource to foster this win-win investment.”

The Energy Water Infrastructure Program was created in 2016 to provide grants for reliable and resilient infrastructure in communities throughout the state. The grants help local governments in undertaking energy efficiency projects at water and wastewater treatment plants. These projects reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, and they can reduce operating costs at the facilities.

MDE has provided more than $22 million in Energy Water Infrastructure Program grants to local governments. The grants are helping to pay for projects to reduce energy usage at facilities in 15 counties and Baltimore City and provide solar power at facilities in eight counties and Baltimore City. The grant program uses allocations from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, administered by the Maryland Energy Administration.

At its meeting today in Annapolis, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved the grant to Anne Arundel County for the solar project. The grant will help pay for the design and construction of solar panels on existing building rooftops and new parking lot canopies at the Anne Arundel County Bureau of Utility Operations Complex in Millersville, site of the system that monitors the operation of all the county’s water and wastewater facilities, among other functions.

The solar photovoltaic system is expected to provide about 1.5 million kilowatt hours per year of electricity, accounting for about 97% of the total annual electricity use at the complex. The local share of the project’s cost is about $1.1 million.

The Anne Arundel County solar project, like others receiving Energy Water Infrastructure Program grants, will help Maryland achieve its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction and clean and renewable energy goals.

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