Green Schools | News

Maryland District Installs 8288 Panel Solar Power System

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 10/25/12

Maryland's Caroline County Public Schools (CCPS) has completed construction on three solar photovoltaic (PV) installations with an expected combined yearly output of 2,800 megawatt hours of electricity.

Comprising 8,288 PV panels, the systems will be owned and operated by Washington Gas Energy Systems as part of a power purchase agreement that required no upfront investment from the district.

Designed and installed by Kenyon Energy, the three arrays "will be used as teaching instruments within the schools" according to information released by CCPS. The different installations include:

• A 919 kilowatt direct current (kW-DC) system at the Caroline Career and Technology Center and North Caroline High School;
• A 796 kW-DC system at Colonel Richardson High School and Colonel Richardson Middle School; and
• A 315 kW-DC installation at Greensboro Elementary.

"These arrays will provide clean, renewable energy to our classrooms, as well as help improve our local air and water quality," said CCPS Superintendent Khalid Mumin in a prepared statement. "In fact, over 30 years, this solar project will allow us to reduce greenhouse gases equal to the planting of nearly 326,450 trees."

CCPS is a rural district serving Approximately 5,500 students at 10 schools.

More information about Caroline County Public Schools is available at cl.k12.md.us. Go to wges.com to learn more about Washington Gas Energy Systems.