The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) announced $1.6 million to build eight new solar parking canopies, with 35 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, that are expected to generate 4,520,000 kWh of clean, renewable energy annually – or enough energy to power more than 370 Maryland homes for a year – including one in Howard County.
KDC Solar Maryland will receive $300,000 for the construction of a 1,036 kW-dc solar canopy over the parking lot in front of the Howard County Gateway Building located at 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia. Six Level 2 EV chargers are part of the package. The county will purchase all of the electrical energy produced by this project from KDC Solar Maryland through a Power Purchase Agreement.
Funding for this project is made possible by the MEA Parking Lot Solar PV Canopy with EV Charger Grant Program (a.k.a. Solar Canopy Program), which is funded by the Strategic Energy Investment Fund.
Since 2014, the Solar Canopy Program has added 20,525 kW of solar generation to the state (generating about 26,000,000 kWh of energy every year) and added 86 additional EV chargers. To learn more about this program, visit https://energy.maryland.gov/business/Pages/incentives/PVEVprogram.aspx.