McCormick & Co. plans to announce today that it will begin using solar energy at its distribution center and spice mill in Hunt Valley by early next year.
The spice maker signed an agreement to have Constellation Energy build a one-megawatt solar power system at the two facilities, located at its headquarters campus. McCormick will purchase electricity generated by the system from Constellation.
The two companies did not disclose financial details.
The solar energy project will be McCormick's largest effort at its U.S. facilities to use alternative sources of energy, said Alan Wilson, McCormick president and chief executive officer. The company also uses enhanced recycling efforts at its office facilities, and it installed energy-efficient lighting at its plants.
Constellation said the solar system will reduce McCormick's greenhouse gas emissions by 1,000 metric tons a year and cut its electricity costs by about 30 percent during the first year.
"It's good for the environment, but it is also good for the bottom line because it will reduce our energy costs," Wilson said.
About 2,800 crystalline panels, which are the more traditional solar panels that are heavier and used on sturdier roofs, will be installed at the spice mill. The distribution center will get about 80,000-square-feet of thin solar film. Each roof will generate about 500 kilowatts of energy.
The use of total renewable energy sources, such as solar wind, hydropower and geothermal, is growing as traditional energy prices rise and more companies look to improve their environmental public image. The use of these energy sources grew by 32 percent from June 2007 to June 2008, the latest figures provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It accounted for 11 percent of net electricity generation in June, compared with 8.6 percent a year ago.
Maryland homeowners flooded a state program with applications for grants to build solar systems this year just a few weeks after the money became available. There was a waiting list for the program for the first time in its five-year history.
Howard County unveiled 24 panels of solar receptors atop the East Columbia library this summer that are expected to generate 30 percent of the building's energy. General Motors announced in August that it plans to install 8,700 solar panels on the roof of its White Marsh transmission plant by spring through a partnership with Beltsville's SunEdison, North America's largest provider of solar energy services.
