Cecil County, MD — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

Cecil County solar setbacks (confirmed general provisions): ≥50 ft from property lines; screening and buffering required. STATE STANDARD (HB1036/SB931, eff. July 1 2025) for ≥1 MW: ≤100 ft from property lines; ≤150 ft from residential dwelling. Cecil County setbacks (50 ft) are LESS restrictive than the state max — county can maintain its 50 ft standard since it is under the 100 ft cap.

Cecil County: CUP process in Agricultural/Rural Conservation district. ≥2 MW: MD PSC CPCN. BGE/Delmarva Power serve county.

Moderate — growing county; some solar receptiveness; industrial/warehouse corridor

Delaware border county; active development corridor; I-95 industrial/warehouse growth; moderate solar market; Delmarva Power territory; Eastern Shore gateway

Stable

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).

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.

Harkins Lane Solar 1 LLC | 5 MW | Cecil County | CPCN GRANTED (Order No. 92116: January 5 2026) — PSC Case No. 9775 Multiple additional active applications 2025-2026: Halo JM 5 MW (Case 9853), LSE Aurora 5 MW (Case 9852), North Telegraph Road Solar 1 5 MW (Case 9851), Bouchelle Road Solar 1 5 MW (Case 9797 — public hearing Apr 30 2026), OneEnergy Development 5 MW (Case 9860 active)

No confirmed PSC CPCN denials for Cecil County. Multiple active pipeline.