Solar Farm Spotlight: Checkerspot

Each month, we spotlight one of the solar farms in our Community Solar program. Community Solar is a new way to receive some of the financial benefits of solar energy—without the hassle of installing your own solar panels. You can learn more about what Community Solar is in this blog post. 

The solar farms in our Community Solar program are groups of solar panels located in a field or on a rooftop that leverage the power of the sun to produce renewable energy. Solar farms typically feed into the larger electricity grid and help to shift the fuel mix to clean, renewable sources—while helping customers save money on their electric bills!

This month’s solar farm is Checkerspot Community Solar Farm. Inspired by the native Checkerspot butterfly, this pollinator-friendly solar farm is designed to support the habitat of resident bees and butterflies. This approach to solar production offers a number of benefits—the area’s critical pollinators are supported, subscribers save on their electric bills, and everyone enjoys a cleaner world.

Location:

Checkerspot Community Solar Farm is located in Tracy’s Landing, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County—just inland from the Chesapeake Bay.

Customers:

Checkerspot Community Solar Farm can support 235 residential customers within the BGE utility service area in Maryland. Checkerspot is one of several CleanChoice Energy Community Solar farms serving BGE customers. Subscribers are assigned to one of these farms—and receive up to 10% savings on their solar bill credits!*

Interconnection (when the solar farm starts generating power): 

Checkerspot Community Solar Farm is expected to “turn on” and start generating solar power in August 2021. Once it turns on, more than 200 homeowners and renters will cut their emissions and lead cleaner, healthier lives while supporting the development of pollution-free renewable energy.

Capacity (how much solar energy the solar farm can generate):

Checkerspot Community Solar Farm has the capacity to generate 3,048,045 kWh of clean solar energy each year. That’s the equivalent of:¹

• 466 cars taken off the road for one year; or

• 2,374,613 pounds of coal not burned; or

• 35,365 tree seedlings grown for 10 years!

More about solar in Maryland:

• Maryland ranks 16th in the country for solar capacity.²

• There is enough solar installed in Maryland to power more than 146,000 homes.²

• Solar prices in Maryland have fallen 38% over the last five years!²

Interested in joining a Community Solar farm? 

If you’re a Maryland resident within BGE’s service area, you can sign up today and save up to 10% on your electric bill.* 

If you’re not a Maryland resident, find your local Community Solar farm and sign up today to save money and the planet!

¹EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator

²SEIA, Maryland Solar 

*IMPORTANT: Community solar offers up to 20 years of bill credits with your subscription to a community solar farm. The subscription price is subject to change each month and is not regulated by the Maryland Public Services Commission. The value of your bill credits is not guaranteed and may increase or decrease over the term of the Agreement based on your utility’s rates. Savings are not guaranteed. You may be subject to an early termination fee of $200. Your purchase of bill credits helps support community solar development in Maryland and the environmental attributes of the solar energy production will be retained by the Owner of the farm. Limited to well-qualified applicants. Terms and conditions apply and are subject to change. Review the Subscription Agreement for additional details.

Standard Solar SO #19A2268140004310