State officials cite the county’s goal of reducing green house gases.
Baltimore, Md (KM). The State of Maryland is recognizing efforts by Frederick County Government to go green. Last week, the county was awarded the Maryland Green Registry Sustainability Leadership Award, one of five recipients to receive this honor.
“Frederick County, with a population of 260,000 citizens, is working toward green house reduction goals of 50% from 2010 levels by 2030, and 100% by 2050,” says Secretary Ben Grumbles with the Maryland Department of the Environment. “They completed energy assessments of 25 county buildings, and upgraded lighting, roofing and mechanical equipment.”
Secretary Grumbles also credits Frederick County for meeting 20% of the building’s electricity demands with distributed, renewalable energy generation, and powering electric fleet vehicles through solar arrays. Frederick County TransIT has nine buses which are powered by electricity.
There’s also a project planned for one of the county’s older buildings. “DPW secured a $45,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration for a 75 kilowatt solar canopy at the Bourne Building,” says Tyler Muntz, the Special Projects Manager for the County’s Division of Public Works. “:Construction and design is estimated to be $450,000 and 25-year payback period should be realized.”
The other recipients of the award were the Baltimore Community ToolBank, the Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, and the West Nottingham Academy.
“We’re meeting Maryland’s smart energy community goals for renewable power generation with our solar photo-voltaics, and we’re powering our electric vehicles with the sun,” says Shannon Moore, the Manager of the County’s Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources.
By Kevin McManus