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“Energy touches every aspect of our lives, from the cost of heating our homes to sustaining our resources for future generations.” O’Malley said. “We’re all here today because we understand that we are in a fight for our children’s future. Maryland is leading the nation’s efforts in clean energy and sustainability, and our state’s growing ‘green’ sector is vital to our ability to create jobs and compete globally in the new economy.”

The governor’s appearance, coupled with a growing vendor and visitor base, was seen by Lopez as a good sign.

“It’s good to see the governor is paying attention to these issues,” Lopez said. “The face that we have more than 500 people here shows the public is starting to take notice, as well. Now we just have to take the things we’ve learned and apply them. We need to make these things mainstream.”

One of the vendors was Millersville-based Solar Energy Services. Founded by Roger Perry in 2006, the company analyzes homes and installs solar panels for electricity, hot water and pool heaters, among other uses.

To heat enough water for an average family of four, Solar Energy Services installs two 4-foot by 8-foot solar panels at a cost of approximately $10,000, Perry said. But residents will receive Solar Renewable Energy Credits, along with other state and federal incentives, that will allow the panels to “pay for themselves” in just over two years, Perry said.

Both Perry and Solar Energy Services President Rick Peters say business has been exploding recently.

“We’re growing 80 percent a year, ” Peters said. “We’re growing and we just hired mroe people, so we’re also creating jobs.”

Another Millersville company, Kenergy Solar, also was at the expo. Though the company is only 2 years old, it already has installed solar panels throughout Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties, Coordinator Julia Sullivan said.

Sullivan praised O’Malley and the state’s legislators who are pushing for new, innovative renewable energy policies.

“They’re helping us create a sustainable industry,” Sullivan said.

Lopez is putting putting on another expo in Pennsylvania next month and hopes to eventually expand to Ohio, New York and beyond. He also hopes to add more to the expo in Timonium to a point where the parking lot is full of vendors and visitors alike, he said.

“We haven’t even scratched teh surface of what we can do.” Lopez said.

Maryland Energy Administration Director Malcolm Woolf shared similar sentiments.

“Maryland ahs emerged as a national leader in energy innovation, thanks to the smart choices we’ve made over the last five years,” Woolf said. “Today’s energy summit futher underscores Maryland’s commitment to accelerating our transition to a clean energy future.”

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Kratovil Jobs Tour Makes Stop in Severna Park; Witnesses Solar Energy Cutting Costs, Protecting the Environment, and Creating Jobs

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Frank Kratovil continued his First District Jobs Tour with a stop in Severna Park, where he visited a work site with the owner of a local solar energy firm that has taken advantage of recent green energy initiatives to grow and hire new workers.

With Congress in recess this week, Rep. Kratovil has been touring communities throughout the First District, meeting with small business owners, visiting manufacturing hubs, and listening to the men and women on the front line of job creation to see firsthand the continuing challenges faced by small business owners and employees in the current economic environment. Kratovil has made job creation a top priority of his first term in Congress, introducing a number of proposals to empower small businesses to create new jobs here in Maryland.

This morning, Kratovil’s Jobs Tour stopped in Severna Park, where Rep. Kratovil joined local entrepreneur Rick Peters at a work site where his company had recently installed solar water heating panels to help homeowners reduce their energy costs. Mr. Peters is President of Solar Energy Services (SES), a small business located in Millersville that has added jobs this year as a result of the Recovery Act, and stands to grow even further if Congress passes energy legislation creating new incentives for renewable energy.

“Renewable energy is one of the most efficient and cost cutting ways to, protect our environment, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create good jobs in an emerging field,” said Rep. Kratovil. “Instead of constantly focusing on big business and big banks, Congress need to focus on empowering small businesses like SES so that they are able to create more good paying jobs in our communities, and the families that install these new technologies will start to save on their energy bills.”

SES has grown its workforce by 25% this year, after benefitting significantly from stimulus funding that allowed Maryland to continue its solar grant program. SES would be able to expand even further and create additional jobs if the Senate acted to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act, legislation that Rep. Kratovil backed in the House of Representatives to create new incentives for renewable energy and a more stable market for small businesses that focus on renewable energy solutions.

“Our small business has been able to grow because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Maryland’s solar grant programs. If Congress passes the energy legislation that Rep. Kratovil backed, we could create even more jobs and help even more citizens and businesses enjoy the benefits of solar energy – whether it’s solar water heating or solar electric. I would like to thank Rep. Kratovil for taking the time to learn about our small business and for his support of common-sense energy proposals that create jobs, save money, and encourage clean, domestic, renewable energy,” said Peters.

Kratovil has made small business job creation a top legislative focus in Washington, introducing a number of proposals to create incentives for entrepreneurs to create or expand small businesses. He authored the Small Business Formation and Job Creation Act, a bill to increase the tax deduction for small business startup expenses from $5,000 to $20,000, which has twice passed the House of Representatives as part of larger small businesses tax packages. Additionally, Kratovil authored the Small Business Property Reimbursement Act, which extended a key tax deduction for small business owners that invest in new equipment for their businesses and was signed into law as a provision in the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act.

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