SunEdison has announced that it has begun construction on a 2.8 megawatt (MW) solar project for eight schools in the Montgomery County Public School system in Maryland.

The eight solar power plants are expected to deliver approximately $200,000 of savings per year at current utility rates. The systems are projected to generate enough electricity each year to power more than 260 homes and avoid the emission of more than 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of removing 500 cars from the road.

"SunEdison has a long and successful track record helping school districts across the U.S. save money with solar," said Steve Raeder, SunEdison's managing director of its Eastern U.S. commercial and industrial business. "This is our second consecutive project with the Montgomery County Public School system and we're honored to have earned their business again."

"Montgomery County Public Schools has a comprehensive districtwide program to reduce the environmental impact of its facilities through an Environmental Sustainability Management Plan, which includes generating solar power, recycling initiatives, energy conservation efforts and a commitment to green construction practices," said Dr. Andrew Zuckerman, chief operating officer for the school system.

"We are excited about this project because it does more than just bring a substantial amount of renewable energy into the county; it also becomes a real-life science lab where our students can see solar energy at work."

SunEdison is partnering with Rockville, Md. based solar installer Standard Solar to construct the project.

"Standard Solar's collaboration with SunEdison is a win-win," said Tony Clifford, Standard Solar's chief executive officer. "The Montgomery County Public School system receives local EPC expertise, and Standard Solar gets access to SunEdison's world class financing, high-efficiency solar panels, construction capital, and management expertise. We have a great history of working with SunEdison and look forward to completing this project."

Construction of the first phase of the 2.8 MW solar project is targeted for completion in the fourth quarter of 2015. Operation and maintenance of the solar power plants will be performed by SunEdison Services, which provides global asset management, monitoring and reporting services.