Maryland counties are making plans to site solar in optimal locations - i.e - protecting farmland and forests. A round up of smart solar siting provisions from Chesapeake Conservation Partnership
While we have to "green the grid" with renewable energy, some cite this urgency as a reason to skip over a siting survey that will guide solar to the right places. When we fail to plan, solar supplants the climate controlling work of farmland and forests.
Teresa Moore, executive director of the Valleys Planning Council, who commissioned the Baltimore City and County study pointed out that “without siting guidance or incentives, farm and resource land would be the primary target for these land-intensive projects.” Moore added that “almost all the applications for the first three years of the community solar pilot program have been on prime farmland, and there’s little to no activity on optimal sites. Maryland could follow the example of states like New Jersey, where optimal solar sites have been mapped statewide and a ranking system has been incorporated into solar project reviews.”
But are there enough flat sunny surfaces to host the solar we need on these "optimal" sites that protect farms and forests - yes. In fact, a recent study in St Mary's county (where this geospatial analysis has been done) found that of all the sites found to be "optimal" (including degraded lands, rooftops, solar parking cover) only 8% of them would be needed to host arrays to achieve the County's portion of the state goal - all without siting solar on the County's rich farmland.
Teresa Moore, executive director of the Valleys Planning Council, who commissioned the Baltimore City and County study pointed out that “without siting guidance or incentives, farm and resource land would be the primary target for these land-intensive projects.” Moore added that “almost all the applications for the first three years of the community solar pilot program have been on prime farmland, and there’s little to no activity on optimal sites. Maryland could follow the example of states like New Jersey, where optimal solar sites have been mapped statewide and a ranking system has been incorporated into solar project reviews.”
But are there enough flat sunny surfaces to host the solar we need on these "optimal" sites that protect farms and forests - yes. In fact, a recent study in St Mary's county (where this geospatial analysis has been done) found that of all the sites found to be "optimal" (including degraded lands, rooftops, solar parking cover) only 8% of them would be needed to host arrays to achieve the County's portion of the state goal - all without siting solar on the County's rich farmland.
Here in Montgomery County, recently passed ZTA 20-01 guides ground mounted solar away from the most productive farmland in the Ag Reserve. More needs to be done to proactively identify where solar can most optimally be sited.
How do you start thinking about solar at your property? Check out our recorded webinar with the Montgomery County Green Bank.
