Kent County lawmakers have unveiled the new Worton Solar Field, which will produce enough energy to power five county facilities. A “first” in Maryland’s renewable energy portfolio, the energy will be used at three school facilities, the Kent County Community Center, and the Kent County Department of Public Works. The Chestertown Spy reports:

Kent County School Superintendent Barbara Wheeler said the school system has been an enthusiastic stakeholder of the project from the beginning and plans to use the solar field as a laboratory for a renewable energy curriculum.

“This initiative will reduce costs by billions of dollars over time and shrink our carbon foot print,” Wheeler said. “At the same time we are eager to incorporate new lessons on solar energy into our curriculum—giving students the opportunity to learn about solar power and monitor their own energy consumption.”

…

A joint press release from Kent County Government, the school system, Washington Gas, and Standard Solar listed the benefits to the environment and the jobs that will be created from the seven-acre solar field.

The solar field will reduce the CO2 emissions of 215 passenger cars over a year’s time or the equivalent of burning 6 rails cars of coal. The field will also produce “60 full- and part-time jobs,” the press release said.