New solar projects proposed for farms in Hampstead, Sykesville and Westminster

The Maryland Public Service Commission, the state agency that certifies and approves the siting of solar and wind energy projects, is considering six new applications in Carroll County, on agriculture-zoned land in Hampstead, Sykesville and Westminster.

In each of the applications, solar companies are asking the state for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, which grants them the authority to construct an energy generating system or high-voltage transmission line in Maryland. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted last year to keep solar farms off farmland, but the state agency will have the final say as to whether they move forward.

The first application was filed by Chaberton Solar Pine Rock LLC on Feb. 23. The 3.0-megawatt solar farm is proposed on 18 acres of agricultural land at 1151 Sullivan Road in Westminster. The facility would consist 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.

The second application was filed by Bear Branch Solar LLC on April 1. The 4-megawatt solar farm is proposed on a 65-acre property along the eastern side of Route 97 (Littlestown Pike), north of Westminster. The solar farm would sit on 26.6 acres of the 65-acre property. There would be a 7-foot-tall fence around the perimeter of the solar facility, to provide security and safety, according to the application. Screening from the public view would also be installed.

The third application was also filed by Chaberton Solar Pine Rock LLC, on April 22. The 3.0-megawatt facility would be constructed on 16.5 acres of an approximately 125-acre property at 940 Fannie Dorsey Road in Sykesville. The site is near the intersection of Fannie Dorsey Road and Sacramento Drive. Chaberton is proposing to directly connect the project to Baltimore Gas and Electric’s existing White Rock substation.

The fourth application was filed by Spring Valley Solar 1 LLC on April 23. The proposed 2.250-megawatt facility is slated for 1500 Fannie Dorsey Road in Sykesville. The project would be screened from adjacent properties and residences with minimal traffic, the company’s application states. The facility would sit on 14.26 acres.

The fifth application, known as the Pleasant Valley Solar Project, was filed by Elk Development LLC on July 8. The company wants to build a 2.142-megawatt facility between Pleasant Valley Road and Magers Drive in Westminster. The facility is proposed for 12.22 acres of a 33.17-acre property. A landscape buffer is proposed to shield the solar farm from nearby homes. Ground-mounted systems will not exceed a total height of 15 feet above existing grade, the application states.

The sixth application was filed by Elk Development LLC on July 9. It is known as the Cape Horn Solar Project. The 2.125-megawatt facility would be located at the intersection of Cape Horn Road and Hampstead Mexico Road in Hampstead. It would be built on 11.70 acres.

The detailed applications are in various stages of the approval process. Since the six new solar-generating farms are prohibited on farmland in the county’s zoning code, each of the applicants has chosen to apply to the state. Should the agency issue each of the six proposed solar facilities the required certificates, the county’s zoning restrictions on agricultural land could be disregarded.

To address that possibility, commissioners voted unanimously July 25 to ask the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission to examine and recommend changes to the zoning code. These would include new stipulations intended to protect residential neighborhoods near agricultural land where a solar farm could be built.