A tree lined community has come up with a solar energy solution that could serve as a model for others. In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind arrangement, a group of individuals in University Park, Maryland have established a limited liability corporation that will use a local church as the site of a new distributed solar power installation. The plan mirrors a much larger distributed solar energy program embarked upon last year by Duke Energy, one of the largest utility companies in the U.S.
University Park Solar LLC will reduce the community’s reliance on coal-generated electricity and support green jobs in the U.S. (the solar panels are made in the U.S. by solar energy pioneer Sharp). Like Duke Energy, University Solar sees a great benefit in distributed solar power. By becoming part of the everyday landscape of community life, solar energy makes the leap from exotic newcomer to just another reliable, dependable source of electrical power.