Solar permitting — Worcester County, Maryland
20 news items.
Ocean City tourism county; coastal tourism identity creates visual impact concerns for inland sites; flat terr. Permitting: County Board of Appeals/Board of Commissioners: Special Exception or Conditional Use Permi; 150-ft max / 100-…
Key driver: Ocean City tourism county; coastal tourism identity creates visual impact concerns for inland sites; flat terrain favorable for solar in western portions; developing regulatory framework
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
County Board of Appeals/Board of Commissioners: Special Exception or Conditional Use Permit in applicable zoning district.
Setbacks & buffers
State floor per HB1036/SB931 (eff. Jul 1 2025): ≤100 ft from property lines; ≤150 ft from non-participating residences. No county-specific setbacks above state floor.
Spacing requirements
None codified
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
Local county zoning permit: conditional use or special exception at county level; no uniform statewide solar permitting standard. PPRP (Power Plant Research Program, MD DNR): environmental review for generating facilities ≥70 MW; PSC CPCN required for projects ≥70 MW. Projects <70 MW: county-level permitting only. No statewide preemption of local solar ordinances. Net metering: systems up to 2 MW (residential up to 2× annual load). All MD in PJM territory. Maryland has the largest solar carve-out in the U.S. at 14.5% by 2028 (MD Code, PUC §7-703).
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
50% by 2030 (14.5% solar carve-out) | Clean Energy Jobs Act (2019) + CESA (2022) | Md. Code Ann. PUA §7-703
State incentive programs
Maryland Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS): 50% by 2030; solar carve-out 14.5% by 2028 — drives strong SREC demand. Maryland SREC market: PSC-administered; ~$50-80/SREC 2023-2024 for Tier 1 Maryland SRECs. Maryland Solar Access Program (Brighter Tomorrow Act 2024): $750/kW up to $7,500 for income-qualifying residential customers. Maryland Community Solar: community solar program active statewide. Maryland PSC: approval required for utility-owned solar; IPP projects via county/local process. Utility: BGE (Eversource) serves Baltimore metro; Pepco serves Montgomery/PG County; Delmarva Power serves Eastern Shore; SMECO serves Southern MD; Potomac Edison (FirstEnergy) serves western MD.
Grid & interconnection
PJM / Delmarva Power (Exelon) transmission zone
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Community opposition P1
No organized opposition on record for this county yet — no petition, group, or oppositional coverage tracked. Absence of opposition is a positive siting signal.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Community & board sentiment
- 🔒Governing board
- 🔒Sentiment rollup
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
- 2026-06-23 Public Hearing For Proposed Solar Development Site In Berlin
- 2026-05-20 Worcester County Public Schools Awarded More Than 5 9 Million For Energy Efficiency Projects
- 2026-05-20 Worcester Co Public Schools Awarded 5 9M For Energy Efficiency Projects
- 2026-02-18 Globalinx Data Centers secures fee simple interest in Maryland for AWS Fastnet CLS
- 2026-01-14 Panel Held In Oc To Stop Offshore Wind
- 2025-12-29 Wicomico Worcester County Solar Projects Public Hearing
- 2025-11-05 Ocean City On An Island Offshore Wind Lawsuit
- 2025-10-31 Yes Wind Maryland Advocates Join 201121564
- 2025-09-23 Worcester County Officials Opposed To Solar Panel Farms Without Local County Oversight
- 2025-09-16 Maryland Offshore Wind Project Legal Challenge
- 2025-09-02 Maryland County Officials Deny Rezoning Request For East Point Energys 600Mwh Bess Project
- 2025-08-09 Wind Wars Ocean City Challenges Maryland Permit In Two Different Venues
- 2025-08-08 Wind Wars Ocean City Challenges 060101937
- 2025-08-08 Wind Wars Ocean City Challenges Permit
- 2025-08-08 Solar Energy Companies Are Working To Buy Up Shore Farm Land
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
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