In 2021, then Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski signed an executive order, setting a goal that the county government will get 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2026.

It’s not going to make it.

Gregory Strella, Baltimore County Chief Sustainability Officer, believes that by early 2027 about two-thirds of the county’s energy needs will be met through renewable energy.

“We are seeing the fruits of that willingness to make a visionary, aspirational goal,” said Strella.

In a statement, Olszewski said his six-year administration set an aggressive clean energy agenda that included solar projects, converting landfill gas to energy and tree planting.

“We did all of this while facing many challenges, from rising energy costs to infrastructural and regulatory hurdles — still making progress while governing amid a global pandemic,” Olszewski said.

Olszewski stepped down as county executive in January to take a seat in Congress.

The renewable energy the county generates goes into the regional electric grid. The county has agreed to purchase the amount of energy those solar projects generate so it gets credited for doing that.

The county will take a significant step towards relying more on renewable energy this fall when it plans to switch on a solar project at the long-closed Parkton Landfill.

It’s expected to provide about 14% of the energy the county government needs.

The county has leased 19 acres at the landfill to a solar developer, Total Energies. The county has agreed to purchase power from the Parkton facility for 25 years.

The Parkton project was supposed to open in 2023.

“These are complex projects,” Strella said. “There’s a lot that folks will never see that goes into the pre-construction work to implement a project of this scale.”

Parkton is one of a trio of solar projects the county is putting in place.

In April of last year, the county switched on the first one, which is on the roof of the Randallstown Community Center. It generates more than enough energy to fuel the center, according to Strella.

He said the Parkton Landfill is ten times the size of the Randallstown project.

Then in early 2027 a solar facility twice the size of Parkton, this one at the closed Hernwood Landfill, is scheduled to be ready. That's expected to meet about 30% of the county’s energy needs.

Once that happens, it’s estimated that renewable energy will account for about 65% of the power used by the county.

Strella said the county’s move towards renewable energy reflects the community’s values.

Strella said, “In Baltimore County we value smart investments that save money and prevent waste and take care of the health of our community and our environment.”