Two communities have been chosen to participate in Solarize Frederick County. They are Myersville and the Villages of Urbana. "Mostly it was the fact that they had good volunteers in their community and good sites for solar," says Lisa Orr, the county's Sustainability Program Coordinator.   The volunteers helped spread the word about Solarize Frederick County.

Orr says now a team will be assembled to develop a request for a proposal. "And that team will be putting together that RFP. And then the Town of Myersville will be taking the lead on actually issuing the RPF and, with our advice, making the final selection."

The final selection is expected to be made in March, Orr says, with work on the project to be completed by the end of the year.

The goal is to retrofit at least 30  homes with photo-voltaic cells, and at least 30 residences with solar hot water systems, she says.

Orr says residents in both those communities will have the opportunity to place photo-voltaic cells  on their homes' rooftops, or have solar water  heating systems installed in their homes. Because a lot of solar equipment is costly, there are incentives and grants to help pay for the installaton, she says. "The State of Maryland has $1,000 grant. There's also a 30% federal tax credit that people can apply for. People can also sell their renewable energy credits that are earned through their solar systems," Orr says.

There are also grants through Solarize Frederick County. "People wanting solar photo-voltaic systems can apply for either a $2,000 or a $2,500 grant," she says. "ALso, for the solar thermal, it will be a $750 or $1,000 grant."

For more information, go on line to www.frederickcountymd.gov/greenhome.