Attend this Solar Summit & Learn What You Need to Know

Join us in taking a hard look at Maryland’s New Permanent Community Solar Program. Newly signed into law, it’s now gone from pilot to permanent, and subscriptions will be paid on the same utility bill where the credits are earned. So what exactly does it all mean for you?

Join the Experts & Bring Your Questions:

Solar Market Series

Wednesday, June 28 @ 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

At the Rockville Innovation Center, 155 Gibbs Street, 2nd Floor Buchanan Room

Hosted by the Montgomery County Green Bank, this event promises to be a lively in-person panel discussion on the newly signed law making Maryland’s Community Solar Program permanent.

Driven by the Green Bank and others, community solar projects and purchasing programs benefit multiple customers like homeowners and renters, businesses, nonprofits, and other groups. It’s worked well in Maryland over the last several years in a pilot program.

With this new state law, the Community Solar Pilot Program becomes permanent. Community solar subscriptions will now be paid on the same utility bill where the credits are earned.

Hear from leaders in the solar industry from the Climate Access Fund, We Solar, and CHESSA, the regional arm of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Refreshments are provided. Register now — It’s free, but space is limited!

Meet a Who’s Who in Area Solar:

• Lynn Heller, Founder & CEO, The Climate Access Fund

Prior to founding the Climate Access Fund, Lynn oversaw the Abell Foundation’s operations and managed their environmental grants portfolio. She has worked as a nonprofit strategic planning and management consultant and has launched political and economic development programs in Baltimore, California and Indonesia. Lynn is Board Chair of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, a past member of the Maryland Climate Change Commission, and a founding member of the Baltimore Sustainability Commission.

• Kristal Hansley, Founder & CEO, WeSolar, Inc.

As the nation’s first Black Woman CEO in the community solar industry, she leads WeSolar, providing consumers across Maryland access to affordable solar energy. The Brooklyn native has a BA in Political Science and Sociology from Howard University. She previously worked on Capitol Hill, overseeing Community Affairs policy in the office of DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and as Program Manager for the Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative.

• Stephanie Johnson, Executive Director, Chesapeake Solar & Storage Association (CHESSA)

With an extensive background in policy and advocacy, Stephanie served with the Association of Corporate Counsel, overseeing international, federal, and state advocacy initiatives and developed policy strategies related to corporate compliance. Before CHESSA, she was Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for TESOL International Association, leading the association’s federal policy and communications departments.

Maryland’s Community Solar Program at a Glance:

• The permanent program begins January 1, 2025, with consolidated billing starting on January 1, 2026.
• All projects must serve a minimum of 40% low- to middle income subscribers.
• Community solar lets anyone join the solar revolution with a simple subscription.
• There are various requirements, exemptions, definitions and more — and we can help!

The Montgomery County Green Bank Delivers Solar Solutions

In 2022, the Green Bank supported $25 million in clean energy projects across the County, including various solar projects for faith-based institutions, affordable housing properties, condominiums, and community solar, including 685 kW of community solar projects in the County with more in the works.

• Our team has developed a community solar project at the Paddington Square Apartments in Silver Spring. The Green Bank’s direct loan supports the projects low- and moderate-income (LMI) component. The community solar array offers 91 community solar subscriptions including 30% for LMI households.

• At the Stewart Avenue industrial warehouses in Silver Spring, a Commercial Loan for Energy Efficiency and Renewables (CLEER) loan and co-lending by the Green Bank enabled installation of a 412kW solar PV system. Electricity is sold through community solar subscriptions from the warehouse tenants and subscribers within the area.

• Other solar projects include a 2.18-megawatt solar array currently underway at the 684-unit Seneca Village apartments in Gaithersburg. The Green Bank is one of the financing partners. It’s the largest rooftop solar project on a multifamily property in the County and will save about 2,500 kilowatt hours in energy and generate more than $300,000 in annual savings.

“We have several solar programs like these underway and in our pipeline,” says Cindy McCabe, Associate Director of Renewable Energy Programs at The Green Bank. “Community solar and solar projects for residential and commercial use are a large part of our work in making clean energy possible for Montgomery County.”

Contact us for more information about how we can work together on solar projects >

The Montgomery County Green Bank is a publicly chartered nonprofit corporation dedicated to accelerating affordable energy efficiency and clean energy investment in Montgomery County, MD. Learn more >