Somerset County, MD — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

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.

County Board of Appeals/Board of Commissioners: Special Exception or Conditional Use Permit in applicable zoning district.

Receptive — strong economic development interest; limited regulatory constraints; flat terrain

Poorest MD county; flat terrain favorable for solar siting; no ordinance framework; limited regulatory capacity; growing developer interest

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.

Costen Solar Inc | 8.75 MW | Somerset County | CPCN GRANTED (Order No. 90013: December 21 2021) — PSC Case No. 9662

No confirmed MD PSC CPCN denial or county-level rejection on record for Somerset County as of Mar 2026. MD Renewable Energy Certainty Act (HB1036/SB931, eff. Jul 1 2025) limits county authority to deny ≥1 MW solar.