Ribbon-cutting for Fitzgerald Auto Mall’s Solar Array in Gaithersburg

Fitzgerald Auto Mall, a car dealership originally founded in North Bethesda, MD , is extensively devoted to sustainable practice and proves so through their recycling commitments and their use of green power.

In addition to their promise to recycle 80% of the solid waste generated at each of their facilities, Fitzgerald Auto Mall was recently recognized as a Green Power Partner by the EPA because of their guarantee to purchase all of their energy from renewable energy sources.

In October 2016, Fitzgerald Auto Mall was welcomed into the Montgomery County Green Business Certification Program because of its ISO 14001 Energy Management System, an international environmental standard requiring a comprehensive set of operational improvement processes to reduce environmental impact.

In May 2019, Fitzgerald Auto Mall unveiled their finalization of a solar canopy at one of their local dealerships.

At 2,475 panels and approximately 45,168 square feet, the canopy is the largest of any car dealer in the DMV and is believed to be the largest solar canopy array at a dealership east of the Mississippi.

The canopy will produce 1,100,000 kWh annually, which will generate approximately 83% of the location’s power. It will save around 1,702,800 pounds of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere, which is about the same amount of energy a power plant produces. To offset those CO2 emissions, 42,891 trees would need to be planted per year.

The solar canopy recently installed by Fitzgerald Auto Mall will have a tremendous impact on the environmental well-being of the community. Learn more about the sustainability initiatives on their website.

Written by Charlotte Aitken, intern for DEP’s Energy and Sustainability Programs, Tulane University Class of 2021