About the Project:

The Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington (JCA) is part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and has been operating since 1973. JCA is using financing from the Green Bank’s Commercial Solar Power Purchase Agreement (CSPPA) to install 86.87kW of solar PV energy on the roof of their Senior Assistance Facility located in Rockville, MD. This solar system will produce over 105,750 kWh of clean, renewable solar energy throughout the first 12 months of use.

Over the next 20 years, the solar PV system, which will be installed by Aurora Energy, will prevent the consumption of 2,017,511 kWh of energy not sourced from the local utility provider, mitigating 1,430 metric tons of carbon dioxide, greenhouse gas emissions. The energy savings will lead to a projected savings of $166,928 over 20 years in reduced electricity bills for the church.

Financing Details

The solar project will be financed through a 20-year power purchase agreement between Skyview Ventures and JCA.

Montgomery County Green Bank’s Role

The Commercial Solar Power Purchase Agreement (CSPPA) program developed by the Montgomery County Green Bank allowed JCA to install solar and experience the benefits of solar without upfront costs through a no money down rental agreement with Skyview Ventures. In this PPA, or rental agreement, Skyview Ventures pays for all maintenance and operations costs, while JCA only pays for the electricity produced by the solar system at a contracted price that is lower than what they are paying now for electricity, making the project a complete benefit for JCA both economically and environmentally.

The Montgomery County Green Bank has been working closely with Interfaith Power & Light on helping faith communities go solar. See ipldmv.org/solar for more resources from Interfaith Power & Light, including a map of existing faith communities with solar and a recording of an info session on solar for faith communities.

Project Snapshot

Building Type:

The Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington building in Rockville, MD is a two-story commercial building with over 30,000 square feet of space located on Parklawn Drive.

Property Upgrade Summary:

Installation of a 86.87kW rooftop solar PV system by Aurora Energy.

Loan Amount:

A $149,040 loan from the Green Bank to Skyview Ventures for a Commercial Solar Power Purchase Agreement (“CSPPA”).

The CSPPA program allows building owners to experience the benefits of solar energy with no out-of-pocket costs and without the burden of owning and maintaining a solar PV system.