Thanks to natural photosynthesis, green grass is a staple of golf courses worldwide, but one Maryland recreational property company is using photovoltaics to make their greens even greener. The Brick Companies today announced that Standard Solar will build an 800-panel, 191 kW ground mounted solar electric system at the Queenstown Harbor golf course on Maryland’s Eastern Shore (location shown below).

Installation of the system – which will be used to power the Queenstown Harbor golf course clubhouse and cart barn – is scheduled to begin later this year and be completed in early 2012.  Once operational, the system will provide approximately 70 percent of the facility’s electricity. The 231-megawatt hours of electricity the system is expected to generate annually will offset the equivalent of 159 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.

“Environmental responsibility is part of our core mission at The Brick Companies and the use of alternative energy sources is important to us,” said Lex Birney, CEO of The Brick Companies. “We can now proudly point to the solar panels at Queenstown Harbor as another demonstration of our commitment to decreasing energy consumption and supporting our ‘green building’ philosophy.”

“Golf courses provide an ideal venue for solar energy as a significant portion of their electric expenses result during daylight hour usage, enabling them to go green on the green,” said Standard Solar President Scott Wiater. “We applaud the Brick Companies for using solar energy to power its golf course and taking this step toward energy independence.”

Check back here for updates and progress reports as this green golf project progresses!

Standard Solar, Inc., announced today that it will install solar power at the University of Delaware in partnership with Perpetual Energy Solutions LLC. The system will be installed on three buildings located on the main campus of the University of Delaware in Newark totaling 2000 panels and 850 kilowatts. This will be the first joint project between the two companies since the announcement of their partnership in June 2010.

The Delaware Field House will house the largest rooftop solar array in Delaware

The solar array planned for one of the installations, atop the Delaware Field House, will be the largest rooftop installation in the state of Delaware.

The University of Delaware has long been a proponent of solar energy dating back to the creation of a solar energy program in the early 1970′s. The University has provided the solar industry with many new developments which have helped accelerate the growth of the solar industry in the United States and abroad. It’s leadership continues with the adoption of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) under which the University buys electricity from Perpetual, the actual system owner, which can claim the tax and related benefits from their ownership position. 

The University’s commitment to solar power lies not only in the research labs across campus, but also in the student body itself. The solar arrays will be funded in part by the senior class gift from the class of 2009, demonstrating the importance of green initiatives to University students beyond the classroom setting.

The PPA comes on the heels of the state of Delaware passing a strengthened Renewable Energy Standard Portfolio. In late July, the Delaware state Senate passed Senate Bill 119, boosting renewable energy requirements to 13% by 2015 with 1% coming from solar. The bill requires that 25% of electricity be generated by renewable sources with 3% coming from solar by the year 2025.

The commitment to renewable energy in the state has made it possible for institutions like the University of Delaware to undertake large scale renewable energy initiatives that are positioning Delaware as one of the front runners in the race to reduce our nation’s carbon emissions.

As the Copenhagen conference on climate change continues, Maryland Morning continues their coverage of homegrown green industries in Maryland. A look at the industries that bring us clean energy are doing in this economy.

Zayn Bradley of Frederick-based Sustainable Energy Systems; and Scott Wiater, President of Standard Solar, headquartered in Gaithersburg weigh in.

http://mdmorn.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/1208092a-sunny-forecast-for-solar-energy/