The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has signed a PPA with CI Renewables, an independent developer and owner of large-scale commercial and industrial solar facilities, to establish a solar energy project that will further advance the university toward its goal: a 100% CO2-neutral campus by 2045.
CI will design, finance, install, own and operate net-metered solar PV systems on the main level of UMB’s Penn Street Garage and Pearl Garage.
“We are pleased to announce our first on-site renewable energy installations,” said UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS. “While UMB has supported PPAs for years, these new solar energy systems on two of our garages will be a visible sign of our commitment to our core values of wellness and sustainability.”
The solar energy systems will be on UMB-owned property, and UMB will purchase all electricity produced at the sites, paying a per-kilowatt-hour rate for the electricity generated by the systems, just as it would any other energy supplier .
In addition to the PPA with CI, UMB participates in three PPAs through the University System of Maryland: Pinnacle through US Windforce, St. Mary’s Solar through Constellation and Roth Rock Phase II through Synergics-SBR. These PPAs help UMB meet the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standards and the requirements of the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022. Since 2022, the university has also purchased Green-e Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to cover the remainder of its electricity consumption to cover. towards 100% renewable electricity.
News report from University of Maryland, Baltimore
