Baltimore County Celebrates Largest Solar Project at Randallstown Community Center

TOWSON, MD – In celebration of Earth Month, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski today celebrated the County’s largest-ever solar energy project, located on the rooftop at the Randallstown Community Center.

The new cost-effective renewable energy source will substantially lower the cost of electricity at the facility – as well as its environmental impact – and is Olszewski’s latest effort to advance sustainability within County government.

“Climate change poses one of the most significant threats to our long-term health and prosperity, and we have a responsibility to take action today so the next generation inherits a more sustainable future,” Olszewski said. “We are thankful for this partnership with TotalEnergies, which demonstrates that we can invest in innovative solutions that save money and preserve the environment so that future generations can enjoy it for years to come.”

In September 2021, Baltimore County signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with TotalEnergies (TE) for a rooftop solar facility. The PPA calls for TE to build, own and maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at the Randallstown Community Center and sell electricity to the County for a fixed rate and term.

Maryland Energy Administration’s Public Facilities Solar Grant Program provided $200,000 in funding to the County to support the installation and planning of solar arrays on the rooftop of the Randallstown Community Center.

This system will generate approximately 800,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy in the first year of the contract. According to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Equivalencies Calculator, the expected solar generation will offset over 558 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to emissions from:

• 133 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year
• 62,818 gallons of gasoline consumed
• 110 homes’ electricity use for one year
• 1,293 barrels of oil consumed
• 615,252 pounds of coal burned

“Sustainability can be woven beautifully and effectively into our homes, businesses, and community life,” said Baltimore County Chief Sustainability Officer Gregory Strella. “The Randallstown Community Center is great example, featuring renewable energy that will be lighting up an already vibrant community space. I am inspired by how many people and organizations across Baltimore County are meaningfully incorporating sustainability into our daily lives and long-term aspirations. Together, we are creating the safer and healthier community we want to share with each other and our children.”

The environmental attributes – or renewable energy certificates – are owned by Baltimore County, which has exclusive rights to being powered with sustainable electricity, benefitting the local community and environment through greenhouse gas emissions avoidance. The solar array’s renewable power will feed into the Community Center’s electric room, directly offsetting its usage. Any excess energy generated will be credited against any remaining usage on the Center’s monthly utility bill.

"We applaud Baltimore County's commitment to sustainability by bringing clean, renewable energy to the heart of the Randallstown community," said vice president of TotalEnergies Renewables USA Eric Potts. "The Randallstown project is a valuable addition to TotalEnergies' growing presence as one of the nation's top solar developers and our goal of achieving 100 GW of renewable energy production capacity by 2030."

Later this year, Baltimore County and TotalEnergies are expected to break ground on its second large-scale solar project for a 6.8-megawatt solar system at the closed Parkton Landfill in northern Baltimore County.

This is the latest effort from the Olszewski administration to promote environmental sustainability, including:

• Creating Baltimore County's first Chief Sustainability Officer to lead on countywide, cross-departmental efforts,
• Launching a landfill gas-to-energy system at the County's Eastern Sanitary Landfill in White Marsh,
• Expanding Baltimore County’s electronics recycling program,
• Creating the County’s first oyster shell recycling program,
• Restarting Glass recycling in Baltimore County for the first time since 2013,
• Launching a program to recycle clothing, shoes, backpacks, sheets, towels, blankets, curtains, throw rugs and other household textiles, and
• Starting Operation ReTree, an equity-based tree planting initiative and a new Street Tree Replacement Program to expand neighborhood tree canopies