Maryland Energy

Solar arrays are becoming an increasingly familiar sight all over Maryland. In 2017, for the first time, solar power in Maryland exceeded the combined electricity generation from both biomass and wind power. Agricultural landowners often decide to install solar panels to off-set their personal and business electricity usage. Solar developers also approach agricultural landowners about leasing farmland to install utility-scale solar energy generating stations (SEGS).

Anaerobic digestion is a process in which anaerobic bacteria break down or "digest" organic material in the absence of oxygen to produce "biogas" as a byproduct of their metabolism. The process occurs naturally in water-logged soils, deep water bodies, and in the digestive systems of termites and large animals (that includes you). In anaerobic digesters, naturally-occurring biological processes are exploited in an engineered system to treat and dispose of waste materials, stabilize end products, destroy pathogens, and generate biogas, a valuable product. Biogas produced in anaerobic digesters consists of methane (50%– 80%), carbon dioxide (20%–50%), and trace levels of other gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, water vapor, and hydrogen sulfide.