National Aquarium, Constellation Efforts Yield Major Summer Savings
September 30 2015 - 11:07AM
Business Wire
Energy efficiency improvements, offsite solar
installation avoided creation of nearly 4,500 tons of CO2, reduced
energy costs by $60,000
The National Aquarium today announced that it avoided the
creation of nearly 4,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide during the
summer months, thanks to the completion of a 4.3-megawatt (DC)
solar generation project and energy efficiency improvements that
are part of an innovative relationship with Constellation, a
leading competitive retail energy supplier. These efforts provided
the same benefit to the environment as removing 916 passenger
vehicles from the road for a year, according to U.S. EPA data.
“Thanks to our relationship with Constellation, we are on our
way to significantly reducing the Aquarium’s carbon footprint,"
said Dale Schmidt, chief operations officer and senior vice
president at the National Aquarium. “An added benefit is the
significant cost savings that will allow us to dedicate more
resources to our conservation and education programs.”
Completed in early May 2015, the 4.3-megawatt (DC)
grid-connected solar generation project was funded and constructed
by Constellation as part of a 25-year competitive electricity
supply agreement designed to help the Aquarium better manage energy
costs and encourage the development of renewable power in Maryland.
The system, located in Cambridge, Md., and designed to meet 40
percent of the Aquarium’s annual electricity needs, generated over
1.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity in June, July and August,
avoiding the creation of nearly 1,300 metric tons of carbon
dioxide. Constellation owns and will operate the solar generation
project for the entire term.
“Constellation is pleased to continue to support the National
Aquarium’s energy and environmental goals,” said Mark Huston,
president of Constellation Retail. “Through a program designed
specifically to meet its needs, we’ve helped the Aquarium save
money, better manage its energy usage and demonstrate the
importance of environmental stewardship to its many visitors.
Together, we are on our way to creating a brighter, more
sustainable future for the Chesapeake Bay region.”
OneEnergy Renewables, a leading utility-scale renewable energy
project developer, customized the development of the Cambridge
Solar project and transaction to meet the Aquarium’s unique energy
and financial profile, as well as its stringent conservation
goals.
“OneEnergy Renewables is proud to have developed the Cambridge
Solar project with Constellation and on behalf of the National
Aquarium, a legacy conservation institution,” said Bill Eddie,
president of OneEnergy Renewables. “The project is a landmark in
the evolution of renewable energy in the United States, bolstering
grid resilience and reliability on the Eastern Shore, while
providing a vehicle for an esteemed non-profit organization to
benefit from utility-scale solar energy production and fixed-price
electricity procurement.”
The solar power system, built by Columbia, Md. based groSolar,
is comprised of approximately 14,500 photovoltaic panels.
“We’re proud of the job our team did, working through extremely
challenging winter conditions to construct a top notch project here
in Maryland that will provide the Aquarium reliable, clean energy
for many years to come,” said Jamie Resor, CEO of groSolar.
The Aquarium completed the implementation of $3.7 million in
energy efficiency and water conservation measures including
lighting upgrades and controls, chiller and boiler replacements,
building envelope improvements, updated water fixtures and
controls, and transformer replacements in early 2015 through a
15-year energy performance contract (EPC) with Constellation. The
water conservation and energy efficiency improvements, which
required no upfront capital from the National Aquarium, avoided the
creation of 3,075 metric tons of carbon dioxide in June, July and
August of this year, and resulted in energy cost savings of nearly
$60,000 compared to 2014.
About Constellation
Constellation is a leading competitive retail supplier of power,
natural gas and energy products and services for homes and
businesses across the continental United States. Constellation's
family of retail businesses serves more than 2.5 million
residential, public sector and business customers, including more
than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Baltimore-based Constellation
is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's
leading competitive energy provider, with 2014 revenues of
approximately $27.4 billion, and more than 32,000 megawatts of
owned capacity comprising one of the nation's cleanest and
lowest-cost power generation fleets. Learn more at
www.constellation.com or on Twitter at @ConstellationEG.
About the National Aquarium
The National Aquarium is a nonprofit organization whose mission
is to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. It
champions environmental initiatives by engaging with visitors,
volunteers, education groups and schools to actively participate in
the preservation of the world’s natural resources and living
systems. The National Aquarium delivers meaningful experiences
through its living collections; science-based education programs
and hands-on experiences in the field from the Chesapeake Bay to
Costa Rica; and partnerships and alliances with like-minded
organizations around the world. For more information on the
National Aquarium, visit www.aqua.org.
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ConstellationChristina Pratt,
410-470-9700Christina.Pratt@constellation.com
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