ForeFront Power and Eastern Shore Land Conservancy announce a partnership to expand renewable energy while supporting preservation and protection programs.
At ForeFront Power, we value mission driven community partnerships that support local initiatives while also spreading the benefits of renewable energy to local residents. That’s why we are thrilled to announce that for each Community Solar subscriber via Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, ForeFront Power will donate $100 toward the organization’s programs.
We feel that this partnership goes beyond renewable energy by assisting in efforts to preserve and protect the natural beauty of the Eastern Shore and its communities. Community solar projects give local energy consumers access to solar energy generated on smaller land footprints. This article dives into the background of this partnership and how an individual can contribute to making an impact.
Responding to the Eastern Shore’s Natural Vulnerabilities
Eastern Shore residents across Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia are acutely aware that the region is the third most vulnerable to sea-level rise after just the Mississippi River Delta and the Everglades according to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
Whether the daily impacts are visible through “nuisance flooding”, shoreline erosion, or saline contamination in farm fields, residents are on the front lines of climate change adaptation and are increasingly looking for ways to support the community through resiliency and mitigation efforts.
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), founded in 1990, is working to educate residents on these impacts while continuing their mission to protect farmland and natural areas. Through these efforts, ESLC has protected more than 60,000 acres of the Eastern Shore’s important natural habitat areas and prime farmland through easements on more than 300 properties.
Due to the implications of a changing climate, both ESLC and ForeFront Power recognize that renewable energy adoption is a piece in the larger puzzle of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while we prepare ourselves for a future that may look vastly different from the past.
Partnership Impact
This situation on the Eastern Shore is why ForeFront Power and ESLC have chosen to work together through our various efforts to preserve and protect our natural environment. Our team at ForeFront Power applauds ESLC’s efforts on the Eastern Shore and we are excited to support the organization’s mission while doing what we can to increase the adoption of renewable energy on the Eastern Shore.
ForeFront Power is excited to contribute to Eastern Shore Land Conservancy by donating $100 for each subscriber who joins through the organization. ESLC will then be able to use these funds toward its various projects across Land Preservation, Town Projects, Environmental Education, Public Policy, and Coastal Resilience.
At the same time, Community Solar subscribers will be doing their part in supporting renewable energy adoption (while saving money) on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Community Solar on the Eastern Shore
Renewable energy adoption is not new to the Eastern Shore, but a new framework known as Community Solar is allowing more residents to participate than ever before.
Approximately half of U.S. households are unable to install rooftop solar due to space, lack of sun exposure or ownership limitations, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Community Solar gives these households – including those who rent – an easy way to benefit from solar without installing or maintaining any equipment.
Plus, Community Solar is a medium-sized alternative to the utility-scale solar fields that require large swaths of land. For example, ForeFront Power’s Community Solar projects range from 12 to 22 acres.
How it Works
Under this program, households in Delmarva Power’s Maryland service territory can enroll in a local solar farm through ForeFront Power to pay a lower price for electricity while a credit is applied to your Delmarva Power bill.
When you formally sign up, you provide your utility account number to ForeFront Power and the connection is made behind the scenes each month to make sure that you are billed and credited properly – so you don’t have to do a thing.
Instead of a set price per kilowatt-hour of electricity from Community Solar, you just pay ForeFront Power at fixed percentage discount below the credit that you receive from Delmarva Power. As the price for Delmarva Power’s electricity goes up or down, the price for solar is locked at a fixed discount, guaranteeing your savings.
Land Impact
When developing, constructing, and operating our Community Solar projects, minimizing impact on the land is of paramount importance. Our team works directly with landowners, including local farmers, to find the best location for a Community Solar project with a preference for land that is vacant and has lower crop yields while balancing the need to be near the existing electricity grid.
In terms of direct impact, the project is built with piles driven into the ground to support the structure, similar to fence posts. Upon the end of the solar project’s life, ForeFront Power is required to return the area to its current (pre-solar) state following the term.
Joining a Solar Farm
You can reserve your spot in one of ForeFront Power’s Community Solar farms by following the link below to review the various plans available to you. To ensure that your subscription benefits ESLC, just use the code ESLC100 during the formal enrollment process to ensure that your impact is achieved.
ForeFront Power will then follow up with more details on next steps and what to expect.
Questions? Feel free to reach us via email at MDCustomerCare@forefrontpower.com or by phone at (410) 442-6127
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