30MW Maryland Solar Farm

I drove by this array near Hagerstown, MD, the other day and was shocked at how big it was: Maryland Solar Farm!

Farms seem like a waste of space considering all the roofs that need to be covered first AND perhaps they would lengthen the life of the roof.

RegGuheert said:

I drove by this array near Hagerstown, MD, the other day and was shocked at how big it was: Maryland Solar Farm!

Click to expand...

kieranmullen said:

Farms seem like a waste of space considering all the roofs that need to be covered first AND perhaps they would lengthen the life of the roof.

Click to expand...

Agreed 100%. Even in that photo, there is plenty of roof space available. The trouble is that if the panels are up on your roof, people can't see how "green" you are being. :evil:

Lets wipe of valuable real estate and put in solar!

kieranmullen said:

Farms seem like a waste of space considering all the roofs that need to be covered first AND perhaps they would lengthen the life of the roof.

RegGuheert said:

I drove by this array near Hagerstown, MD, the other day and was shocked at how big it was: Maryland Solar Farm!

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I thought the same thing too until I was advised most "flat, commercial warehouse type roof are not built for the load of the solar panels." Building codes need to be changed for all new construction to make this possible.

Kohls has some pretty big setups.

http://www.recsolar.com/business-government/portfolio/retail/costco-wholesale-multiple" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Costco does as well.

greengate said:

I thought the same thing too until I was advised most "flat, commercial warehouse type roof are not built for the load of the solar panels." Building codes need to be changed for all new construction to make this possible.

Click to expand...

This is why the loss of Solyndra hurt - their tech was much, much lighter than conventional PV panels and was specifically tailored to be installed on a flat warehouse roof without requiring structural rework.

http://solarprofessional.com/articl...ra-develops-cylindrical-cigs-modules-for-flat

Ah yes... the huge Maryland Solar Farm on the grounds of the Maryland Correctional Institute (MCI) just outside of Hagerstown on MD Rt. 65. I drive past it all the time coming from home just across the Potomac River in West Virginia to shop in Hagerstown. Place is literally a stone's throw from the Tesla Supercharger at the Premium Outlets in Hagerstown at the intersection of Rt. 65 and I-70.

I have a love/hate relationship with Washington County, MD. Home to great places to shop, one of the East Coast's largest solar arrays and a Tesla Supercharger. But if you're driving a Nissan Leaf or anything with a J1772 plug, you're SOL aside from a rather uncooperative Nissan dealership. Major interstates (I-70 & I-81) and routes (Rt. 11 and Rt. 40) cross in Hagerstown making it an ideal home for EV charging structure but alas, none is currently to be found for those of us in the J1772 crowd.