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Representatives of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at Horn Point (HP) were joined by state officials and executives of Standard Solar for a tour of the lab’s new solar field on Monday. From the left are HP Director of Facilities Administration Ray Cho, HP Pres. Peter Goodwin, Ph.D., Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) Director Mary Beth Tung, Ph.D., HP Director Mike Roman, Standard Solar Director of Business Development John Finnerty, Standard Solar Project Manager Chuck Geppi and MEA Chief of Staff Gregory Williams. In back is HP Asst. Dir. for Facilities Jeffrey Miley.[/caption]   CAMBRIDGE – They’ll be making most of their own power at Horn Point Lab from now on. Staff at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) at Horn Point west of Cambridge led a tour Monday morning of a new, 10-acre solar field that is already providing electricity to the facility. The event was timed to take place near Earth Day on Sunday. The 11,000 solar panels were at work in the sunny weather Monday. They generate up to 2 megawatts of power, worth $375,000 a year. They are expected to provide significant savings to the lab, while reducing the amount of fossil fuel, or carbon footprint, previously required at the 800-acre educational site. “It’s a win-win,” Assistant Director for Facilities Jeffrey Miley said. “It’s the equivalent of more than half of what we use here.” The panels were installed over a six-month period by Standard Solar of Rockville. The electricity generated goes into the power grid and is supplied to UMCES as part of a power purchase agreement. Taxpayers might also be pleased at the cost. “We didn’t invest any state dollars in this,” Mr. Miley said. Also part of the project is a 46-space, crushed stone parking lot with a solar canopy and four level-II electrical vehicle charging stations, made possible by a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration. “It’s a great day for us,” UMCES Director Mike Roman said. “We’re so glad we could celebrate with the community of the Eastern Shore.” For more information on UMCES, visit www.umces.edu.