It has taken eight years, but a renewable energy park is at last on the way in Annapolis.
The 16.8 megawatt solar energy facility, the Annapolis Renewable Energy Park, is set to be built on 80 acres of a closed landfill near Interstate 97, Route 450 and Crownsville Road in Anne Arundel County. When completed, it will be the largest non-federal solar project on a closed landfill the U.S., according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The park will have 54,000 solar panels and is expected to create new jobs, support local businesses, offer learning opportunities for local students and generate more than $5 million for the city over the course of its 20-year lease, Annapolis Mayor Michael Pantelides said in his recent “State of the City” address.
“This will become the new standard for others to follow as Anne Arundel County, Anne Arundel County Schools, and the City of Annapolis advance compliance with State mandatory renewable energy goals for local governments,” he said in the address, noting that Anne Arundel County and the county’s Board of Education voted unanimously to purchase power from the city that is generated by the solar plant. The power purchase agreement was subsequently signed July 27.