A Southern Maryland grade school is planning to celebrate the installation of solar panels that will power the classrooms, according to published reports.

George Washington Carver Elementary School in Great Mills will be endowed with a 500 kilowatt solar system, according to the Baltimore Sun. About 2,200 solar panels atop the St. Mary's County school will produce about 667,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in one year, according to Standard Solar of Rockville, Maryland, who is assisting with the project.

Though the system is worth about $2.5 million, the county is taking advantage of a $500,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration. An agreement to purchase power outlines costs will be repaid over a 15-year period.

Taxpayers will save money since they'll pay rates below the current market value for electricity generated by the panels.

Project Sunburst, which is part of the Maryland Energy Administration and based on federal stimulus dollars, encourages putting solar power panels on civic buildings.

This panel installation, which will be on December 13, follows installation of panels atop another St. Mary's County elementary school.