Local opposition to solar coupled with a lack of suitable land makes rooftop solar an increasingly appealing alternative to large ground-mount facilities, especially when serving local communities.
To meet this need, siting community solar installations on commercial rooftops is becoming more common, with one of the largest recently completed in Washington D.C., serving more than 900 low- and moderate-income (LMI) households.
Another commercial rooftop installation was recently completed on a shopping center in Baltimore. The 1 MW that sits atop the Hollinswood Shipping Center in Baltimore County was developed by Centennial, built by Halo and sold to Madison Energy Infrastructure.
“The rooftop solar project at Hollinswood Shopping Center is the most recent example of how owners of commercial real estate can grow their net operating income while contributing to efforts to lower electricity costs for households and businesses, while increasing energy generation in Maryland – a state that currently imports nearly 40% of the electricity that it consumes,” said David John Frenkil, founder and managing principal of Centennial.
The Hollinswood project uses over 1,500 Znshine 550 W solar modules on a ballasted Unirac racking system, along with eight SolarEdge SE100K three-phase inverters.
The project serves the local community by selling the electricity generated into the Maryland Community Solar Program, which a Centennial spokesperson told pv magazine USA provides subscribers with a guaranteed discount on their utility bills.
Two years ago Gov. Wes Moore signed HB 908, a bill that created a framework for Maryland’s community solar program. Community solar offers ratepayers access to solar-generated electricity without having to put solar on their rooftops. By subscribing to a portion of the electricity generated by a local community solar installation, renters who don’t own their rooftops or people who can’t afford the upfront cost of solar have access to clean and low-cost electricity.