Solar:
Garrett County Government worked with SolarCity to install three solar systems on county-owned properties. It was estimated the systems would produce approximately 35-40% of County facilities' annual power consumption when designed. The project was financed through a 20-year power purchase agreement with SolarCity with no up-front costs to the County. At the end of the 20-year period the County has the option to purchase the array or SolarCity can decommission the system.
| Installation Location/Area | Production Start Date | System Size/ Power Rating | Cumulative Energy (Power Used as of 1/8/2024) |
| Thayerville | 5/4/2017 | 1,674 kW | 8,998,002 kWh (8,998 MWh) |
| Grantsville | 7/28/2017 | 786.78 kW | 4,101,107 kWh (4,101 MWh) |
| Oakland | 11/7/2016 | 757.62 kW | 5,518,044 kWh (5,518 MWh) |
Power (system size or rating) is measured in kilowatts (kW), and is the maximum amount of electricity solar panels can generate at any given time.
Energy is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and is the total amount of power used over time. Using one kilowatt of power for one hour equals one kilowatt-hour of energy. One thousand kilowatt-hours equals one megawatt-hour (mWh).
Wind:
In October 2016, two 50-meter anemometer towers on loan from the Maryland Energy Administration were erected in Garrett County. These anemometer towers collected data for one year at two locations owned by the county. The data from the anemometer towers was used to assess the feasibility of a community wind energy project to help offset County facility electricity use. No further action was taken.
