(a) Purchase of renewable energy.
(1) The County Executive must assure that at least 50% of the County’s total annual electric power usage will be supplied by renewable energy, beginning in Fiscal Year 2015.
(2) The County Executive must assure that 100% of the County’s total annual electric power usage will be supplied by renewable energy, beginning in Fiscal Year 2016.
(b) Criteria for renewable energy purchases. The renewable energy purchased under subsection (a) must:
(1) be generated from an energy source defined as a Tier 1 renewable source in Section 7-701 of the Public Utilities Article of the Maryland Code or any successor provision;
(2) qualify as green power as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency;
(3) not be included in a supplier’s renewable portfolio standard requirement for any year or supplant clean energy purchased to comply with either federal law or the law of states other than Maryland; and
(4) be registered and tracked in a regional tracking system.
(c) On-site clean energy generation. The County may satisfy the requirement of subsection (a) through on-site clean energy generation. The County must retain ownership of each on-site project’s renewable energy certificates and must meet all other requirements of this Section. The County may exchange the renewable energy certificates for certificates from an alternate source that complies with this Section. (2014 L.M.C., ch. 9, § 1.)