Solar project is expected to generate approximately 20% of the
Archdiocese’s electricity needs
Constellation,
a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation and a leading competitive retail
energy supplier, and the Archdiocese
of Baltimore today announced the construction of a 5.4-megawatt (DC)
aggregate solar
generation project. The solar power system, located at Perryman Station
in Harford County, Md., is expected to generate enough electricity to
meet approximately 20 percent of the Archdiocese’s electricity needs.
“Pope Francis has invited the Church and all of us to take steps to
responsibly care for our common home,” Archbishop William E. Lori said.
“This new solar power system will allow us not only to better manage our
energy costs and devote more funding to the many important programs and
ministries we have in place to support our community, but also to
educate our parishioners about sustainable initiatives.”
The project expands Constellation’s role as the No. 1 solar energy
producer in Maryland. The company operates more than 35 megawatts of
solar projects in the state and expects to have an additional 25
megawatts operational by the end of 2015.
The project required no upfront capital from the Archdiocese.
Constellation will own and operate the solar power system. The
Archdiocese will purchase the electricity generated by the solar panels
from Constellation under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
“Constellation is committed to supporting renewable energy in Maryland,
and we are pleased to help the Archdiocese better manage their energy
costs through supporting this solar power project,” said Mark Huston,
president of Constellation Retail. "This system will allow them to
devote more funding to important community programs and share the
importance of clean energy resources with their parishioners.”
The solar power system will be composed of approximately 17,700
photovoltaic panels and is expected to generate approximately 7.2
million kilowatt-hours of electricity in the first year. Generating the
same amount of electricity using nonrenewable sources would result in
the release of approximately 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide, or the
equivalent emissions from 1,045 passenger vehicles annually, according
to U.S. EPA data for the region.
Constellation currently owns and operates more than 250 megawatts of solar
installations that have been completed or are under construction for
commercial and government customers throughout the United States.
By structuring its solar
projects as power purchase agreements or solar services agreements,
Constellation offers solar installations that may require no upfront
capital from customers and may provide fixed power costs that are less
than projected market rates. Constellation commercial customers,
universities, college systems, hospitals and government agencies
interested in on-site
solar installations may contact Constellation at sustainable-solutions@constellation.com
or 1-877-427-2005.
About Constellation
Constellation is a leading competitive retail supplier of power, natural
gas and energy products and services for homes and businesses across the
continental United States. Constellation's family of retail businesses
serves approximately 2 million residential, public sector and business
customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100.
Baltimore-based Constellation is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation
(NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with 2014
revenues of approximately $27.4 billion, and more than 32,000 megawatts
of owned capacity comprising one of the nation's cleanest and
lowest-cost power generation fleets. Learn more at www.constellation.com
or on Twitter at @ConstellationEG.
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