Four years ago, musician Jack Johnson had a vision for Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia.
While performing there, he told Merriweather officials they could be more environmentally friendly ? and even gave them a list of ways to go green, said Brad Canfield, Merriweather?s director of operations and production.
Now, Merriweather unveiled rooftop solar panels Thursday, the latest in a string of green initiatives.
The solar panels are “really a significant step forward,” Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said at an event highlighting them.
He also recognized Merriweather with a Green Salute, a new award for businesses making strides in going green.
The panels will save Merriweather an average of 15 percent on its electricity bill, Canfield said. In the winter, when the venue is closed, electricity generated will be sold back to Baltimore Gas and Electric company.
The system also includes a place for three large tour buses to plug in, rather than sitting idle in the parking lot. This also will help reduce bus emissions.
The panels can produce up to 4.6 kilowatts of power, said Richard Deutschmann, chief executive officer of Chesapeake Wind and Solar LLC, which provided the panels.
This translates into some 6,000 kW saved per month, which means thousands of pounds of coal not burned and even more carbon dioxide not released into the atmosphere, Deutschmann said.
Merriweather officials have replaced hundreds of light bulbs with low-power bulbs that use 3 percent of the electricity, Canfield said.
They now purchase environmentally friendly cleaning products, have a recycling program and maintain a compost heap to use in replanting the venue?s lawn and trees, he said.
The next step, Canfield said, is to install a biodiesel fuel tank, from which bands can buy fuel for their tour buses.
