The roof of the Randallstown Community Center is newly covered in 1,850 solar panels, giving Baltimore County its largest-ever solar project, county officials said Wednesday.

The project is expected to generate around 800,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, substantially lowering the cost of electricity at the community center. It’s enough to potentially “spin the meter backward” and provide credit toward Baltimore County’s monthly electric bill, said county spokesperson Erica Palmisano.

Energy production at the facility, which was celebrated Wednesday, is expected to begin in June. The project did not include any up-front costs to the county. The developer behind the project, TotalEnergies, owns the panels, and all installation and development costs are part of the power purchase agreement between the company and Baltimore County.

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The county will pay Total Energies a rate of $0.1353 per kilowatt hour, Palmisano said.

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“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,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said in a statement.

Baltimore County is working on two other large-scale solar panel projects, both on the caps of inactive landfill sites. The Parkton Landfill site is expected to be fully operational next May, and the Hernwood Landfill site is expected to reach capacity next summer. Those other projects are also supported by power purchase agreements, Palmisano said.

Baltimore County and TotalEnergies expect to break ground on the northern Baltimore County Parkton Landfill later this year.

Cody Boteler

cody.boteler@thebaltimorebanner.com

Cody Boteler

Cody Boteler is a reporter on The Banner’s Express Desk, reporting on breaking news, trending stories and interesting things in and around Baltimore. His work has appeared in The Baltimore Sun, USA TODAY, Baltimore magazine and others.

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