By enrolling 130 municipal accounts in Community Solar, Ocean City, Maryland builds on a clean energy legacy started in 2018
OCEAN CITY, MD – August 17, 2026 For generations, the sun has been Ocean City’s signature draw, filling its beaches, powering its boardwalk economy and shaping its identity as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier coastal destinations. Now, that same sun is generating a different kind of benefit for the town: measurable savings on its municipal operating costs.
Through a new partnership with Solar On Earth, the Town of Ocean City is expanding its renewable energy footprint. The town has enrolled 130 municipal accounts into a Community Solar project, supplying clean power to municipal buildings and infrastructure across the community while building on foundation set by its 2018 Gateway Solar array.
“Ocean City is proud to expand on our commitment to the use of responsible clean energy,” said City Manager, Terence McGean. “Through our existing Gateway Solar project and our new participation in the Community Solar initiative Ocean City receives over 50% of our electric supply from renewable sources.”
A Growing Solar Footprint
The new Community Solar allocation is expected to offset approximately 4.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity use annually, avoiding an estimated 6.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide each year. That’s comparable to removing roughly 660 passenger vehicles from the road annually, or the carbon sequestered by over 144,000 trees each year.
This builds on the town’s existing Gateway Solar array, a 10-megawatt project built on 113 acres just outside Ocean City that has supplied municipal power since 2018, saving taxpayers an estimated $120,000 annually. Together, the two projects reflect a sustained, multi-year approach to reducing the town’s energy costs and environmental footprint.
How Community Solar Works
Community Solar allows municipalities, businesses and residents to draw credits from a shared solar farm without installing panels on their own property. The electricity from the farm is fed into the utility grid, so there is no change in how or where the town gets electricity — it simply comes at a reduced cost. This is an especially useful model for a coastal town where rooftop space is limited and locations like the Ocean City Racquet Center or the town’s wastewater treatment plant are not well suited to on-site solar. Ocean City’s accounts are served through Delmarva Power under Maryland’s Community Solar Program, which became a permanent program in January 2025 after operating as a pilot since 2015.
The permanent program removed the capacity caps and rate-class restrictions and clarified municipal eligibility for participation. Ocean City’s allocations will be placed on a solar farm currently being developed by Pivot Energy in Chestertown and apply to the town’s own accounts and buildings. Taxpayers benefit through reduced municipal operating costs, but Maryland residents and businesses are also eligible to participate in the program without paying any upfront cost or installing any equipment.
Supporting State and Local Climate Goals
The new allocation supports Maryland’s broader Renewable Portfolio Standard goals amid an evolving national landscape for renewable energy policy. For Ocean City, a town whose economy depends heavily on tourism and coastal recreation, the investment reflects a continued, practical approach to managing long-term operating costs while supporting the state’s renewable energy targets.
About the Town of Ocean City
Ocean City is a resort town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, drawing millions of visitors annually to its beaches, boardwalk and coastal attractions. The Town of Ocean City owns and operates municipal infrastructure across the community, including public safety facilities, recreation centers, and the Ocean City Life-Saving Museum near the boardwalk’s southern end.
About Solar On Earth
Solar On Earth works with top solar developers throughout the country, including Pivot Energy. Formed in 2015, the company has offices in Massachusetts and Illinois, as well as local representatives in Maryland. Its role is to help municipalities, businesses, and residents benefit from Community Solar by facilitating enrollment and providing customer service. The company has brought renewable energy access to communities across a growing number of states from Maine to Hawaii.
###
