$2M Solar Power Plant Coming to Millersville

By MARC SHAPIRO Staff Writer

Constellation Energy will build its first Maryland solar power plant in Millersville, a $2 million project with the state that is designed to be a role model for others.

Gov. Martin O’Malley unveiled the design for the project yesterday at the headquarters of the Maryland Environmental Service on Najoles Road.

Constellation will build 240 thin-film solar panels on the agency’s 22,000-square-foot roof and 1,540 crystalline photovoltaic solar cells behind the building.

Together they are projected to produce 396,000 kilowatt hours per year, about half the electricity used by the environmental services facility.

“As human behavior has brought about climate change for the worse, human behavior can bring climate change for the better,” Mr.

O’Malley said.

The governor’s office called the project the first time the independent state agency has partnered with Constellation Energy on a solar project.

The power giant, which is the parent of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and is in the process of being acquired, will pay for the construction of the facility, said Shaun Adamec, a spokesman for the governor.

Maryland Environmental Services will buy the power back from Constellation Energy for 15 cents per kilowatt hour.

Two years ago, then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. used similar words to describe a smaller solar project in Annapolis. Aurora Energy installed 56 solar panels on the Department of General Services building off St. John’s Street in Annapolis.

The Millersville project is expected to eliminate more than 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide, more than 36,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide and more than 528,000 pounds of methane over 15 years, according to Constellation.

This is equivalent to removing 800 vehicles from the road or powering 600 homes. It would take 1,000 acres of pine forest to do that.

Maryland Environmental Services, which provides operational and technical services on environmental issues, will use its system to educate others about solar power. There will be a viewing area for the solar panels behind the building and a camera may be installed on the roof to view those solar panels.

Construction has yet to begin, but the project is expected to be finished before the end of the year, said Aaron Koos, spokesman for Constellation.

The power company has built other environmentally friendly projects in the state, such as geothermal heating systems for the National Park Service in Towson and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and a wind-power system for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Greg Jarosinski, president of Constellation Energy’s Projects and Services Group, said the company’s next big project will be a commercial project about three times the size of the Millersville facility.

The company also is working on projects at the University of Maryland College Park and Towson University to make their buildings more energy efficient.

Constellation Energy recently met with the Department of General Services and several other contractors to look at reducing energy consumption and coming up with alternative, sustainable energy solutions, said Ken Chodnicki, senior vice president of Constellation Energy.

“All of the projects have to pencil out economically,” he said, which means they need to beat the current electricity rates and have the ability to be locked in for 10 to 15 years.

While Constellation is one of Maryland’s largest power companies, there are other firms involved in solar power in the state already. BP Solar has headquarters in Linthicum and a manufacturing facility in Frederick. Small companies, such as Aurora and Chesapeake Solar in Jessup, also are active in the field.

State Sen. Ed DeGrange Sr., D-Glen Burnie, who said he was initially skeptical of renewable energy, said the issue is a big concern of the General Assembly and hopes this project will inspire others.

Lawmakers are working to try to get more buildings online, he said.

Mr. O’Malley also said he believes this will serve as a model for others.

“Maybe people in the private sector will say, ‘A ha! If that can be done in a building that size, maybe it can be done in my building,’” he said. {Corrections:} {Status:}

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