As part of a major remodel aimed at drastically reducing energy consumption, the Maryland Transit Authority will install a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic array at its Northwest Bus Division.
The Maryland Transit Authority is funding the overhaul with $6.2 million, much of which came from energy-efficiency grants from the Maryland Energy Administration Project Sunburst Program and from local utility rebates, according to a press release.
The Transit Authority contracted with Pepco Energy Services to retrofit its properties with efficiency upgrades and the solar array.
The array will consist of 2,288 Sharp solar modules. Each panel is rated at 235 watts. The system, all together, will produce 638,000 kilowatts of power each year, said Pepco spokesman Scott Brown.
The comprehensive updates and green improvements will impact more than 1 million square feet at various Maryland Transit Authority properties, according to a press release on the project. Projects identified for the improvements include local bus, metro subway, light rail and MARC facilities, according to the release.
The construction is already underway. It started in January and is expected to be completed by August of this year, according to the release.
Vern Hartstock, the Maryland Transit Authority's deputy director of engineering, estimates the project will save the Transit Authority more than $560,000 a year and more than $9.4 million over the 20-year contract term, according to the release.
The energy saving measures, upgrades and improvements combined with the solar photovoltaic installation are expected to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of the Transit Authority by more than 2,800 metric tons annually and will decrease energy costs by about 13 percent, according to the release.
Pepco (POM) is excited to be working with the Maryland Transit Authority on this large-scale project that is expected to have significant energy-saving impacts, spokesman Brown said.
