The Center for Environment and Society at Washington College is offering to help counties, municipalities, and local school systems reduce energy expenses and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The Center has previously focused much of its efforts around Kent County but will provide assistance to any Maryland jurisdiction.  The following is a short description provided by the Center:

• Maryland’s net metering law allows municipalities, non-profits, and agricultural concerns to install renewable energy systems at one location, and then use any excess power to count against other meters in a virtual (or aggregated) fashion; this provision allows for greater economies of scale, and thus reduced expenses for the county’s bottom line
• County governments can realistically expect to shave at least a third off their costs for electricity
• Counties can enter into power-purchase agreements and pay almost no costs upfront
• Counties can expect reduced expenses for electricity in the first year
• Counties will help the state meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020, all while reducing expenses

Here is a picture of the new solar power system at Kent County High School in Worton, MD.  This system is expected to reduce electricity costs in year 1 by about $60,000, and perhaps as much as $2 million over twenty years.

Please contact Briggs Cunningham to learn more.  For the past several years, Mr. Cunningham has been working with the Kent County government, as well as Washington College and the town governments of Chestertown and Betterton, to figure out ways to cut energy expenses and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Cunningham’s contact information is: