CleanChoice Energy has begun offering community solar to electricity customers in Maryland as part of the Maryland Community Solar Pilot Program. CleanChoice’s program has a proposed available capacity of 21.4MW and is initially open to customers in PEPCO and Baltimore Gas and Electric’s service areas.

“(Maryland) has been a growing solar market for years, and Community Solar means that more people than ever can tap into clean solar energy while saving money on their utility bills,” said Tom Matzzie, CEO of CleanChoice Energy, in a release announcing the program’s launch. “Community Solar allows Marylanders to support local solar without a big upfront investment or a home construction project—instead they can sign up online in just a few minutes.”

The Maryland Community Solar Pilot Program, launched earlier this month, gives residents the option to purchase subscriptions for energy from community solar arrays equivalent to 100% of the resident’s annual energy usage, up to 13 kW. The residents then see a decrease in their electrical bill, as the excess energy produced by the projects being subscribed to is sold off.

The program should be a natural fit in Maryland, a state where distributed solar makes up the majority of overall installed capacity. This, like other community solar projects, exists to provide an option to renters as well as homeowners who can’t afford to or don’t want to install a PV system on their home, but still want the benefits of solar production.