Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards: This solar farm will help Maryland meet its aggressive in-state renewable energy generation goals. In early 2019, Maryland passed legislation requiring the state to generate 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030, and included a solar carve-out of 14.5 percent solar carve-out. According to the US Energy Information Administration, in in 2019,11 percent of Maryland’s in-state net generation of energy came from renewable sources.One-third of the state’s renewable energy generation has come from solar power and has increased over the years, doubling from 2016 to 2019. In December 2019, Gov. Larry Hogan introduced the Clean and Renewable Energy Standard (CARES) which builds upon the RPS of 50 percent by 2030, increasing it to 100 percent by 2040.

Decades of proven operation: Tens of millions of solar panels, operating hundreds of millions of hours, have been installed across the United States and the world over the past 30 years. The efficiency of panels and inverters (something that converts the electricity into the standard that comes out of your electrical outlets) has improved five-fold over the past several years and the costs have plummeted. Large-scale solar energy farms are now one of the lowest cost electricity sources.

Jobs and capital investment: Jobs and capital investment: Many Maryland-basedfirms are currently working on the project, with millions of pre-construction dollars invested. During the nine-month construction period, expected to begin 2023, the construction will employ a skilled workforce and contracts will be awarded to regional vendors during construction and operation.

Clean energy for Maryland: The solar farm will produce enough energy for roughly 6,700 households annually.