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Montgomery Energy Connection

Network of customized education on the benefits of energy efficiency, availability of programs, and opportunities for assistance for residents in Montgomery County, MD

Brought to you by DEP Energy

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 | Department of Environmental Protection


aspen hill

Energy Express Starts this Thursday!

RESIDENTIAL:  Since the summer of 2017, the County has been partnering with Montgomery County Public Libraries during the summer to support their Summer Reading Program.  The fifth year of Energy Express begins on June 17, 2021 for this energy journey where we tell the TALE of energy from fossils to fuels of the future. We loved the “Choose You Own Adventure” theme so much that this year that students will get to choose their favorite dinosaur TAIL to help us tell this TALE.


Free Climate Change Camp for Students

climatedu

RESIDENTIAL: Are you interested in learning more about climate change? climatedu is an online mini course about climate science and sustainability made by students, designed by students. Our mission is to bring climate education opportunities to students everywhere, and we are excited to invite middle and high schoolers to enroll in CAMP CLIMATEDU! Their free, virtual camp will run June 23-August 25, every Wednesday from 4:30-6 PM. They will be exploring the online course, hearing from some amazing and interesting speakers, and doing some fun activities! Visit climatedu.org/camp to learn more and register. 


Who Used Less Energy – We did! We did!

less energy

RESIDENTIAL: School may be out for the summer - but kids can keep learning even while on vacation! Higher temperatures can mean higher energy bills from A/C use while the kids are at home. Check out our Montgomery Energy Sing-A-Long video and teach your kids several ways they can help you save money and energy all summer long!


How to Beat the Maryland Summer Heat

cooler

RESIDENTIAL: This article gives 5 tips for cooler living! Eric Gans a Certified Home Energy Auditor, Building Analyst, Envelope Professional, Dog Lover, Runner, Father and now Guest Blogger provides residents with five tips to lower your energy costs this summer. Did you know that temperatures in the attics of Maryland homes during summer months can go as high as 150-160 degrees?  It is a brutal place with stifling air and high amount of humidity so make sure you read about how to beat the heat this summer.


Two New Community Solar Projects

community solar

RESIDENTIAL: Residents receive the same benefit as rooftop solar by subscribing to a large commercial project in the same utility area. Community solar brings the promise of solar to a much broader audience, meaning almost everyone can now be part of the solar revolution. Neighborhood Sun has two new projects open; Friendship Solar Farm is in BGE and the Simba solar farm is in Pepco. Find out more about these projects and see if you want to sign up.


Local Student Creates a Solar Charger

solar charger

RESIDENTIAL: Emma Hubbard is a senior at Clarksburg High School. She got into solar energy electronics out of experimenting with Arduino and various YouTube videos. She has created the Electra Bolt box out of 2 old Ramen noddle boxes and the mini box was built out of the Amazon package some pack of batteries came with. Emma believes that for us to realize a cleaner future, we must consider human behavior. Read more about her solar charger. 


Take the Commercial Solar Market Survey!

commercial solar

COMMERCIAL: If you’re a solar developer, commercial land owner, or commercial tenant who is interested in solar or has installed solar, please share your opinions and experiences with us. DEP is conducting a market survey on the commercial solar market in Montgomery County. Respond by June 30, 2021.
Learn more here.


My Green Montgomery Green Jobs Board

My Green Montgomery

The My Green Montgomery Green Jobs Board will help you find green jobs in our region.  We post jobs for free if they:

  • are green jobs (focused on energy, sustainability, water, trees, community greening, environmental ed, etc.)
  • based in the DC or Baltimore regions. Jobs in Montgomery County or easy for our residents to commute to work!

We pre-approve each job before posting, but we do not guarantee the length of time jobs will be posted. To look for new job opportunities, click here.


Energy News Roundup

Newspapers

The Montgomery County Energy Team receives tons of newsletters and articles every day, and these are a few articles that we wanted to share this month. These articles range from county, state, national and international stories, we hope you find them as interesting as we did.

Clean Energy Grid: Two Colorado researchers on renewable energy have a recommendation that might surprise some who embrace goals of 100% renewable or, at least, emission-free electricity, www.mountaintownnews.net

Coal: The analysis comes from Energy Innovation: Policy & Technology, based in San Francisco. The work highlights the accelerating pace of the clean energy transition, even aside from the social costs of coal plant pollution, www.renewableenergyworld.com

Electric Buses: Energy as a Service (EaaS) provider AlphaStruxure, which is a joint venture between Schneider Electric and the Carlyle Global Infrastructure Opportunity Fund, announced it will deploy an integrated microgrid and electric bus charging infrastructure project for at least 44 buses in Ride On Montgomery County’s transit fleet to transition from diesel to electric, helping it meet the goal of being net zero by 2035, www.power-grid.com

Electrification: As everything from vehicles and building utilities are turning to electricity over fossil fuel power, it is important to ensure that no community is left behind, www.greenbiz.com

Energy Efficiency:  Implementing energy efficiency is the low-hanging fruit for existing homes and buildings. These actions and initiatives require little investment but drive major impacts: cost savings, system efficiency and resilience through reduced peak demand, emissions reductions, and increased grid reliability, www.energyefficiencyday.org

Geothermal: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $12 million for technologies that can make geothermal systems more efficient for clean, renewable energy production, www.renewableenergyworld.com

Resiliency Hub: St. Jude Regional Catholic School, located in Rockville, has expanded their services to the community through vital energy upgrades to become a resiliency hub. A resiliency hub provides community support in the event of a blackout due to a weather emergency or natural disaster by powering key equipment with clean, resilient energy, www.energy.maryland.gov

Solar Street Lights: Solar street lighting technology has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and is fully aligned with the goals of EU and U.S clean energy and economic stimulus initiatives, www.greenbiz.com

Storage: Potomac Edison will locate two battery energy storage systems in Allegany and Frederick counties. The latter project will be paired with a new electric vehicle fast-charging station, according to the release, www.power-grid.com

Wind Turbines: A coalition of industry and academic leaders has developed a new technology to enable circularity for thermoset composites, the material used to make wind turbine blades, www.renewableenergyworld.com


Events: June & July 2021

congregation

FEATURED EVENT
Powered from Above: A Solstice Seminar for Montgomery County Congregations
June 21 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

At noon on the longest day of the year, join Interfaith Power & Light and the Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (MCFACS) to explore what the power of sunlight could do for your community: we’ll learn about solar financing for non-profits, hear testimonials from congregations that are powering their buildings with energy “from above,” and receive an invitation from the Montgomery County Green Bank to explore or re-explore a fully financed solar project for our own buildings.

June 16, 12:00 pm
Capital Area Solar Co-op Info Session hosted by Gaithersburg

June 24, 10 am
Local Government Leadership Panel
Featuring Montgomery County’s own Adriana Hochberg

June 24, 12:00 pm
Capital Area Solar Co-op Info Session hosted by Takoma Park