Nearly every corner of Carroll County is in the crosshairs of Maryland’s solar boom. Thirteen industrial solar projects sit on the Public Service Commission‘s desk, waiting for approval. Two of them? Practically neighbors on Fannie Dorsey Road in Woodbine, just 1.5 miles apart. Talk about cozy.
County commissioners tried fighting back in 2023, banning industrial solar on agricultural land. Fat lot of good that did. The state swooped in with its Renewable Energy Certainty Act, basically telling local officials to sit down and be quiet.
“We need to protect our farming heritage,” says Commissioner Mike Guerin, echoing what many locals feel. But Annapolis has other ideas. The 2025 legislation forces counties to approve solar projects between 1-5 megawatts in any zoning district. Any. District. Let that sink in.
The Doss Garland Solar Farm proposal epitomizes the tension. This 5 MW facility south of Doss Garland Drive is grinding through technical review while residents watch nervously. Many residents support renewable energy but express that agricultural preservation must be balanced with energy needs. Nearby, Chaberton Solar Sunshine LLC has a 3 MW project in the pipeline. These aren’t your grandma’s rooftop panels.
Maryland’s clean electricity goals for 2035 sound noble on paper. Who doesn’t want cleaner air? But the execution has rural communities feeling steamrolled. Battery storage facilities are coming too, with the state targeting 150 MW of capacity.
The kicker? Most developers aren’t even local. Companies like Garland CC LLC and Doss Garland Solar, LLC are calling the shots while Carroll County residents wonder what happened to local control. Environmental groups celebrated the renewable energy push that cancels subsidies for trash incineration in favor of cleaner options.
Public hearings continue, though many wonder if they’re just going through the motions. By 2028, everyone will be switched to time-of-use electricity tariffs anyway. Progress marches on.
Meanwhile, Carroll’s farmland—some of the most productive in Maryland—sits in limbo. Solar panels or soybeans? The state has made its preference crystal clear. Farmers hoping to install their own renewable energy face additional hurdles with the ongoing REAP grant delays that have left many in financial uncertainty. The rural character that defined Carroll for generations? That’s yesterday’s news.
References
- https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/proposed-solar-farms-carroll-county-debate-energy-maryland-public-service-commission-agricultural-land
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kl_WThRcUY
- https://carroll.news/lawmakers-approve-energy-reform-bills/
- https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/maryland-governor-wes-moore-enacts-key-environmental-and-energy-legislation-in-spring-2025-session-including-epr-for-packaging-and-solar-permitting-reforms/
- https://www.mymcmedia.org/maryland-climate-implementation-plan-nears-deadline/
- https://www.carrollcountymd.gov/media/duwkdr0d/technical-review-committee-agenda-for-november-24-2025.pdf
- https://citizenportal.ai/articles/6576880/Carroll-County/Maryland/County-to-seek-planning-commission-advice-after-states-Renewable-Energy-Certainty-Act-changes-rules-for-large-solar-and-battery-projects
- https://citizenportal.ai/articles/5932188/Carroll-County/Maryland/County-staff-outlines-solar-and-energy-storage-code-changes-commission-sets-setbacks-and-other-draft-requirements
- https://dnr.maryland.gov/pprp/pages/projects-under-review.aspx
