Carroll County residents will have the opportunity next week to comment before the Maryland Public Service Commission on a proposed solar facility on agricultural land in Westminster.
The state commission will hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, before Public Utility Judge Kristin Case Lawrence at Exploration Commons, Carroll County Public Library, 50 E. Main St., in Westminster. Chaberton Solar Pine Rock proposes to construct a 3.0-megawatt solar farm on 18 acres of agricultural land at 1151 Sullivan Road in Westminster.
The Public Service Commission is the state agency that regulates gas, electric, telephone, water and sewage disposal companies in Maryland. The commission also has much broader authority to supervise and regulate the activities of public service companies.
In February, the company applied to the Public Service Commission for what is known as a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, which if approved, would give the company the authority to construct an energy generating station or high-voltage transmission line in Westminster.
According to the application, the solar facility would be built on approximately 18 acres of the 74-acre property.
The hearing will include a presentation by the developer, followed by statements from the Power Plant Research Program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel and the commission’s technical staff, a news release states. The public can also speak.
The Board of Carroll County Commissioners, in a May 30 letter to the state commission, stated that though they support solar development in Carroll, they are opposed to the construction of the proposed facility.
“The county has developed solar farms on three county-owned properties over the last several years and is currently planning a fourth,” according to the letter. “The county is not opposed to solar, rather we are concerned about its location. We believe in smart solar development that maximizes the potential for the energy source without significant negative impacts on the nation’s farmland and its production.”
The proposed solar facility consists of a ground-mounted solar array, a 7-foot-tall perimeter fence, vegetative screening and mechanical and electrical equipment, the application states. The project proposes to connect with Baltimore Gas and Electric’s Westminster substation through an existing feeder along Sullivan Road.
In July 2023, after several public hearings, work sessions and a recommendation from the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission, Carroll County commissioners adopted an ordinance stating that solar energy-generating facilities are not allowed on farmland in the county; instead, they should be built on land zoned for commercial and industrial use.
The project is one of seven applications requesting to build solar facilities on farmland in Hampstead, Sykesville and Westminster.
The applications are in various stages of the approval process. Since new solar-generating farms are prohibited on farmland, according to the county’s zoning code, each of the applicants has chosen to apply to the state instead.
The county’s prohibition of solar facilities on agricultural land remains in place but can be overridden by the state.
At their meeting last week, the commissioners continued to discuss the idea of putting guidelines in place as each project comes before the county for review. These would include basic site design requirements the projects would have to follow. They would set a maximum height for the solar facility, establish setbacks from roads and neighborhoods, and mitigate the glare from the panels.
Wednesday’s hearing will also be streamed live.
To sign up to speak, send an email to psc.pulj@gmail.com by noon on Tuesday, Oct. 8 referencing case number 9725. Participants will receive an email with the link to join in on the virtual platform. A recording of the hearing will be available on the Public Utility Law Judge Division’s YouTube channel at bit.ly/2X6wLiP .
The deadline for written comments is Oct. 21, and can be sent through the commission’s online portal at psc.state.md.us/make-a-public-comment/ , or by mail addressed to: Jamie Bergin, Chief Clerk, Maryland Public Service Commission, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul St., 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. Include case number 9725.
The application is available for review at the Carroll County Department of Planning and Land Management, 225 N. Center St. in Westminster.
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