Worton solar array dedicated in Maryland

The solar array, installed by Standard Solar, Inc. and owned and operated by Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc. (WGES), is the first public sector solar system to make use of Maryland's new aggregate, net-metering law that allows one solar system to serve facilities at various locations. Electricity produced by the array will be used at Worton Elementary School, Kent County High School, KCHS Radio Antenna, the Kent County Community Center and the County Public Works Facility north of Chestertown.

The ground-mounted system, which is built on land owned by the Board of Education, will provide an estimated 1,600 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable, emissions-free electricity annually to the five county facilities.The system will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an amount equal to taking more than 215 passenger vehicles per year off the road. Kent County and the Board of Education will purchase the electricity generated by the system under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with WGES, with no up-front cost.

Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc. is among the largest providers of electricity and natural gas in the mid-Atlantic region and supplies more than 350,000 customers in Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, Washington Gas Energy Services is an affiliate of Washington Gas and a subsidiary of WGL Holdings, Inc. Standard Solar Inc is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland and is a prominent player in the full-service development, construction, integration, financing and installation of solar electric systems.