MEA helps Grasonville residents harness solar power

Using a $5,600 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), Elaine and Greg Harrison installed a 4.6 kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system on their Grasonville home. The system, says Elaine, is actually able to produce about half of the energy consumed by the Harrison household.

Elaine doesn’t hesitate to declare “I love my solar panels!” She goes on to say, “I brag about them any and every chance I get.” The Harrison’s move toward renewable energy production makes them leaders among a growing class of Maryland homeowners. The PV system satisfies much of their energy needs, while reducing demand on Maryland’s energy grid.

Elaine acknowledges that installing a renewable energy system is an expensive proposition. “Between the state grant and the Federal tax credit,” she says, “I could afford to go green.” She acknowledges that without the MEA grant, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the couple would not have been able to install the system.

Elaine is more than a renewable energy proponent – she’s a renewable energy enthusiast. She’s eager to encourage people to make similar moves toward energy independence, and leading by example is her first step in that direction. “I want to make my neighbors green with envy!” Hopefully, envy isn’t the only reason they’re going green.

MEA’s Residential Solar Grant Program has given more than $5.2 million in solar PV grants to 820 families since the start of the 2008 fiscal year, putting 3.7 megawatts of clean, solar energy on the grid and saving 4,440 megawatt-hours annually.

In addition to solar energy, the Residential Renewable Grant Program also offers incentives to help Marylanders harness wind and geothermal energy.

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