ANNAPOLIS (Aug. 17, 2008)  Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) officials say they have awarded $591,000, a record level, to Maryland residents for the solar and geothermal program—a residential grant program that helps offset the cost of installing residential and small commercial renewable energy systems.Governor Martin OMalley said the grant money was awarded just weeks after becoming available. The residential solar and geothermal grant program has helped hundreds of Maryland families contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable economy, while also helping to reduce household energy costs, said Governor OMalley.Malcolm Woolf, Director of the Maryland Energy Administration, says the level of interest in MEAs solar and geothermal grant program continues to grow. Marylanders are clearly ready to move to greener and more sustainable energy sources to offset their electricity bills, said Woolf.The record level of funding was made possible by new legislation championed by Governor OMalley to update the solar and geothermal grant program. Under the revised legislation, signed in April, Maryland residents are eligible for grants of up to $10,000 ($2,500 per kilowatt) for photovoltaic solar arrays, up to $3,000 for solar water heaters, and up to $3,000 ($1,000 per ton of cooling) for geothermal systems. As a result of the new legislation, the Maryland Energy Administration Due has fully spent its budget for the solar and geothermal program.MEA officials say they are actively pursuing additional avenues of funding to enable more Marylanders to contribute to a cleaner, more renewable Maryland, while reducing their energy bills. As funding becomes available, MEA officials say they will offer additional grants to Marylanders currently on the wait list.Funding is still available for the MEAs Windswept program, which provides grants of up to $10,000 ($2,500 per kilowatt) to offset the cost of small-scale wind turbines for Maryland residents in appropriate locales.For more information about renewable energy programs and money saving tips, go to http://www.energy.maryland.gov/