A new law taking effect this summer lets the state seize authority over smaller solar projects from county governments and will impose more stringent aesthetic standards.
Signed into law last week by Gov. Wes Moore, the Renewable Energy Certainty Act (SB 931) sets new zoning standards for community solar projects that are more restrictive than what Worcester County has at the moment, according to Jennifer Keener, who runs the county’s office of Development Review and Permitting.
“For any utility-scale solar project, Worcester County doesn’t have landscaping, setback, fencing requirements – this bill gives us that control,” she told the County Commissioners on May 20.
New aesthetic standards for solar farms also now include buffering and separation distances, lighting, and height restrictions, Keener noted in a May 12 internal memo to county officials.
These standards apply to all Maryland jurisdictions, and any solar farm submitted for project approval in Worcester County after July 1 would be subject to the new restrictions.
What’s also changing is the level of control the state has. For now, any solar project over 2 MW – a utility-scale level of electricity generation that can power up to 1,000 homes – can be preempted by the state’s Public Service Commission, or PSC.