PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Rockdale Solar project is a 2.6 MWdc Solar PV array located on roughly 20 acres of land in Williamsport, Maryland.

CS Energy was the acting engineering, procurement and construction partner selected by Community Energy Inc.  The Rockdale Solar project is unique because it is part of Maryland’s innovative Community Solar Pilot Program, a program funded by the state’s Public Service Commission aimed at making clean solar energy more available to Maryland’s low and moderate income residents. Previously, residents would be required to own homes and install solar on their rooftops or property in order to reap the benefits of the clean energy production. With this program, residents can purchase a portion of the electricity produced by the Rockdale Solar Farm and credit that power to their home bills. They have access to clean energy and receive clean energy credits between $10 and $25 on their monthly electric bills without a single solar panel installed on their property.

The project is installed with approximately 22,000 First Solar frameless modules affixed to an RBI solar tracker racking system.  The technology in this installation was carefully selected for the region’s geographic and climatic conditions to ensure reliable performance and high energy yield. With a 2.6-megawatt capacity and approximately 4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity produced annually, the Rockdale site will generate enough energy to power about 400 homes a year. In terms of the environmental impact, the project will prevent approximately 5.3 million pounds of carbon emission each year from going into the environment. Overall, the project will prevent over 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the environment during its operating lifetime.