Montgomery County Recognized for Its Commitment to Fight Climate Change with a ‘Greater Good Award’ at the 2024 Microgrid Knowledge Conference

For Immediate Release: Friday, April 26, 2024

Montgomery County received a 2024 Microgrid Knowledge (MGK) “Greater Good Award” for the installation of a microgrid/resiliency hub at the Bette Carol-Thompson Scotland Neighborhood Recreation Center in the historically Black community of Scotland. The award was presented to the County during the 2024 Microgrid Knowledge Conference in Baltimore.

Microgrid Knowledge awarded recipients in four categories, with Montgomery County winning the Host State Greater Good Award.

“We’re honored to have earned a Microgrid Knowledge Greater Good Award for our microgrid at the Bette Carol-Thompson Scotland Neighborhood Recreation Center. We apply a racial equity, social-justice and public health lens toward our commitment to fight climate change, so building a resiliency hub in the predominately and historically Black community of Scotland was a priority for the County,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Scotland is an integral community in the County, and it is imperative that we provide residents with a reliable place to go to utilize resources and services in the event of a major power outage. Receiving a Microgrid Knowledge Greater Good Award exemplifies our commitment to energy resiliency and sustainability, which would not have been possible without the support of the Scotland community and the Maryland Energy Administration.”

The Microgrid Knowledge Greater Good Award recognizes microgrids that fulfill a clear societal need; recipients are recognized for microgrid installations that change the lives of those they serve. Resiliency hubs, microgrids, and other distributed energy resources (DERs) are effective tools in helping Maryland’s communities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, take control of their energy options, reduce energy burden, and strengthen community stability and resilience.

The Bette Carol-Thompson Scotland Neighborhood Recreation Center received a 2019 Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) Resiliency Hub grant to help pay the costs of installing a solar and battery storage microgrid with natural gas backup generation. Owned and operated by the County, the Scotland microgrid not only reduces energy costs and improves the sustainability of the recreation center but also provides community resilience during extended power outages.

“The Maryland Energy Administration is proud to partner with the Scotland community and Montgomery County to make this resiliency hub into a reality and help deliver an investment long overdue to a community that has overcome so much, said Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul G. Pinsky. “Scotland is a shining example of a community taking ownership of the search for solutions that deliver impactful results and set a workable, scalable model for communities facing similar challenges.”

The MGK conference is designed to foster learning and knowledge sharing on the pathway to achieving unity on NetZero. Uniting education and advocacy with collaboration, the conference is a unique gathering of a diverse spectrum of stakeholders, including developers, generators, regulators, financiers, and large energy consumers from various sectors such as manufacturing, colleges, healthcare, transportation and military.

County Department of General Services Chief of Office of Energy and Sustainability Don Scheuerman said “It feels good to be recognized for doing good work. Scotland has been a traditionally underserved community in Montgomery County. The County is working hard to put more microgrids in place. The Bette Carol-Thompson Scotland Neighborhood Recreation Center was our first installation at a community recreation center. We have a total of five other microgrids currently, three that are in the development process right now and we have greater ambitions to do more.”

The microgrid/resiliency hub at the Bette Carol-Thompson Scotland Neighborhood Recreation Center features a rooftop solar system, a battery storage system, a natural gas generator and an LED lighting retrofit to the facility.

Community benefits include:

• Providing space – heating or cooling – that allows people to stay cool or warm during weather emergencies.

• The ability to charge cell phones, laptops and other devices.

• The ability to refrigerate temperature-sensitive items (i.e., important medications, milk from nursing mothers, etc.).

• Helps the County advance its GHG reduction goals by providing clean, renewable energy to the center during normal day-to-day operations.

The County’s goal is to reduce GHG emissions Countywide 80 percent by 2027 and achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

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Release ID: 24-295
Media Contact: Mark Roper 240-962-1743
Categories: Environment