Sustainable Energy Initiatives
On May 15, 2015, the Maryland Public Service Commission (MD PSC) approved the Exelon/Pepco Holdings (PHI) merger. Upon the merger's closure on March 23, 2016, Prince George's County residents and businesses began receiving millions of dollars in benefits such as rate credits, low-income bill assistance, and enhanced reliability. After this merger, the AltaGas/WGL merger was approved. These mergers fund the programs listed below.
Energy Efficiency - Natural Gas Incentives
The Clean Energy Program builds on Maryland and Prince George's County's energy efficiency and carbon reduction goals, helping to make our County more energy resilient. Using a holistic approach to breaking down energy injustice and barriers, we offer Washington Gas customers in these nine neighborhoods, classified as Energy Resiliency Communities (ERCs), the opportunity to apply for grants to perform energy efficiency retrofits.
Apply for a Residential Energy Efficiency Grant TODAY!
Solar Energy Grant
Prince George's County is working to improve the quality of life in nine designated neighborhoods, classified as Energy Resiliency Communities (ERCs), while identifying ways to improve service delivery throughout the County for all residents. The ERC evolved from a County initiative, formerly known as the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative (TNI), which utilized several metric indicators, such as education, public safety, and employment, to identify key neighborhoods across the County needing holistic improvement. From an energy perspective, resiliency refers to the ability to prepare for and adapt to utility disruptions and recover quickly from them. This involves the deployment of distributed energy resources, including energy efficiency, renewable energy sources such as solar PV, thermal battery storage, and microgrids. This grant award, coupled with state energy incentives, assists residents in accessing the benefits of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy upon the successful implementation of energy efficiency (electricity and natural gas) measures.
Sustainable Energy - ENERGY STAR Certification & Green Leasing Grant
Sustainable Energy provides grants to existing office and multifamily building owners who are Pepco and/or Washington Gas customers to perform energy and water efficiency retrofits and obtain the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s ENERGY STAR certification. The building owners are also to adopt various best practices in Green Leasing to motivate landlords and tenants to engage in energy-efficient practices.
Sustainable Energy Workforce Development Program (SEWDP)
SEWDP will play a critical role in establishing an advanced energy industry in the County and building employment capacity in the energy sector. SEWDP unites the business community with training institutions, community-based organizations, and the local workforce development board to provide work-based learning and occupational skills training, preparing eligible Prince George's County residents within the Pepco service territory for employment in the sustainable energy sector. Examples of sustainable energy jobs or careers include, but are not limited to, energy auditors, solar photovoltaic or solar water heater installers, wind energy technicians, and weatherization technicians. To learn more, visit Sustainable Energy job training.
Energizing Student Potential (Energy Literacy)
In partnership with Exelon/Pepco, Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS), and DoE Sustainable Energy, The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Energizing Student Potential is the first-of-its-kind STEM educational initiative implemented in PGCPS with a specific emphasis on energy efficiency, conservation, and alternative energy. Over 9,000 PGCPS students from elementary and middle schools participated in the energy literacy effort during the 2017-2019 school years. The academic year 2018-2019 included 29 schools (10 of which were returning schools) and 80 teachers engaged in the program, with at least 6,010 participating students. Professional development trainings were held in Bowie, MD, on October 13, December 15, and February 23. The students and teachers performed energy audits of their schools with the assistance of a Certified Energy Manager. They completed a curriculum on the science of energy, energy transformations, renewable energy, and other related energy activities. The effort will continue into the 2020-2021 school year and expand to different schools.
Green Energy Loan Fund
FSC First serves as the Green Energy Loan Fund Manager, providing loan guarantees to participating lenders to compel them to finance sustainable energy projects. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, energy storage, community solar, and other distributed energy generation, energy and water efficiency in buildings, microgrids, clean transportation, resiliency measures, and more.
The loan fund is unique in that it is:
- Managed by FSC First, a U.S. Treasury Community Development Financial Institution, whose goal is to expand economic opportunities in local communities by providing access to financial products and services, and
- Requires diverse, minority-owned businesses and lenders to implement the project.