Here Comes the Sun: Solar Power Installation Online at Anne Arundel County's Combined Support Services Complex

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on April 26 to Honor the First Operational Solar Power System Under Maryland Energy Administration's Project Sunburst Initiative

BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) today announced the completion by its retail energy business of a 750-kilowatt on-site solar installation at Anne Arundel County's Combined Support Services Complex in Millersville, Md. The installation is the first solar project to be operational under the Maryland Energy Administration's Project Sunburst initiative, which utilizes funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to promote the installation of solar photovoltaic energy systems on public buildings in Maryland. In honor of the occasion, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on April 26 at the county's Combined Support Services Complex at 8313 Grover Road from 10 a.m. to noon.

The Combined Support Services Complex houses Anne Arundel County's facilities and maintenance, fire protection and school storage departments. The facility's on-site solar power system uses approximately 3,060 roof-mounted crystalline photovoltaic solar panels and will supply an estimated 900,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The new solar installation is expected to offset 90 percent of the building's annual electricity consumption, saving the county an estimated $80,000 per year in utility costs.

"This project serves the dual purpose of decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels and also saving taxpayer dollars," Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold said. "Fiscal discipline and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive goals."

Anne Arundel County received a $750,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration's Project Sunburst program to pursue its solar power system, which is among the largest installations to be funded under the program. Constellation Energy financed the balance of project costs and owns and operates the system. Anne Arundel County is purchasing the electricity produced by the system from Constellation Energy over a 20-year period, at a cost less than projected market rates.

"Constellation Energy is proud to be at the forefront of solar energy generation in Maryland," said Ron Melchior, vice president of renewable energy for Constellation Energy's retail business. "Anne Arundel County's solar installation is a great example of how collaborations between the state and local businesses can support renewable energy and help keep electricity prices affordable."

"Investing in renewable energy is a triple win for Maryland by creating new green collar jobs now while reducing electricity bills and protecting the environment over the long term," commented MEA Director Malcolm Woolf. "Since Project Sunburst began early last year it has created an estimated 90 jobs, positioned Maryland governments to lower costs through reduced energy bills, and added much needed clean, renewable energy generation capacity."

Statewide, Project Sunburst has been responsible for the development 9.3 megawatts of generating capacity, nearly tripling the amount of solar on the grid at the project's inception and is estimated to generate more than 12,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually.

Constellation Energy currently owns and operates 60 megawatts of solar installations that have been completed or are under construction for customers throughout the United States. By structuring projects as power purchase agreements, Constellation Energy solar installations require no upfront capital from its customers and provide fixed power costs that are less than projected market rates.

Commercial customers, universities, school systems, hospitals and government agencies interested in on-site solar installations of 1 megawatt or larger may contact Constellation Energy at sustainable-solutions@constellation.com or 1-877-427-2005. To watch a brief video about Constellation Energy's solar power systems, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyaXDmgM55M.

About Constellation Energy

Constellation Energy (www.constellation.com) is a leading competitive supplier of power, natural gas and energy products and services for homes and businesses across the continental United States. It owns a diversified fleet of generating units, totaling approximately 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and is a leading advocate for clean, environmentally sustainable energy sources, such as solar power and nuclear energy. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland. A FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Baltimore, Constellation Energy had revenues of $14.3 billion in 2010.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6687552&lang=en

For Anne Arundel County
David Abrams, 410-222-1288
or
For Constellation Energy
Kelly Biemer, 410-470-7433
or
For Maryland Energy Administration
Ian Hines, 443-694-3651

Source: Constellation Energy

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