Construction begins on solar panels at Maryland Heights Community Center

Partnership with Ameren Missouri is one aspect of the city’s focus to create a more sustainable community

Residents visiting the Maryland Heights Community Center this fall may notice some new developments. The city is partnering with Ameren Missouri to install solar arrays in the parking lot at no cost to the city. The city and Ameren Missouri sponsored a construction kick-off event in late September to announce the project.

“Creating a more sustainable city has been a focus for Maryland Heights, so taking advantage of available space to harness solar energy is an obvious step to further our goals,” said Mike Moeller, mayor of Maryland Heights. “We’re excited to work with Ameren Missouri to bring renewable energy to the city for the benefit of our neighbors and local businesses.”

Installing canopy-style panels makes the most of existing space at the community center without compromising parking spaces and will even provide shade and weather protection for the cars parked underneath them. The solar panels are expected to begin serving customers around spring of next year.

There should be minimal impacts to regular community center operations during the construction of the solar arrays. Additional parking is also available in front of the Maryland Heights Community Center.

Together, the 1,335 solar modules will provide 500 kilowatts of energy, which is enough to power approximately 55 homes for a year. 

“We are excited to see work begin on the Maryland Heights solar project, which will provide approximately 30 construction jobs and add more clean energy to the grid,” said Patrick Smith, vice president of economic, community and business development at Ameren Missouri. “Partnerships with businesses and municipalities like this are one of the ways Ameren Missouri will be able to accelerate our work to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, five years earlier than previously planned.”

The solar installation comes as Maryland Heights is developing a Greenhouse, Garden and Sustainability Center Project, which will include demonstrations of solar and wind power and sustainability-focused programs for students and community members.

The community center solar project is made possible by Ameren Missouri’s Neighborhood Solar program, which utilizes existing buildings, parking lots and land for solar energy generation. It also creates local jobs and provides valuable training opportunities for not only the initial installation, but for ongoing maintenance, as well. The Neighborhood Solar program is part of Ameren Missouri’s larger Smart Energy Plan, which was first launched in 2019 and aims to create cleaner and more reliable energy for its 1.2 million electric customers statewide. Read more about the Smart Energy Plan.