Farm Solar

Community Conversation on Solar - Queen Anne's County

Time & Location

Aug 26, 2024, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Chesapeake College, 110 Higher Education Center
1000 College Cir, Wye Mills, MD 21679

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About the event

Queen Anne’s County residents are invited to attend an upcoming Solar Visioning Info Session to learn about utility-scale solar development and participate in facilitated discussions. This session aims to educate the public on regional utility-scale solar development and provide a platform for community dialogue on various aspects of solar projects. The insights gathered from this community conversation will inform local leaders, government officials, and the research team about resident perceptions of solar development. The discussion will help shape the following:

• Community vision
• Comprehensive planning, including solar overlay maps
• Strategies for landowners to negotiate with solar developers
• Strategies for communities to negotiate with solar developers.

Your participation will help UMD Extension and public officials understand how to proactively engage communities in planning for solar energy land use. Recognizing that developers may approach many rural landowners, our goal is to enhance the solar siting process by incorporating the voices and priorities of local and county government and community members. A summary report will be provided to all participants later in the summer.

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Workshop Helps Landowners Understand Impacts of Solar Leasing

Landowners learned about the potential benefits and pitfalls of leasing their land for solar installations at a Solar & Landowners Workshop held January 23, 2023 at Garrett College. Many companies view Garrett County as a prime location for community-and utility-sized solar installations, ranging from 10 to 1,000 acres. Landowners may not know the best way to negotiate their lease and work with the company to ensure they maintain their desired level of control over their land. The University of Maryland Extension and Garrett County Government hosted a free Solar & Landowners Workshop to help landowners navigate this new industry. Representatives from the UME Ag Law Center, UME Energy Programs, and even solar companies were on hand to discuss best practices in leasing, what to expect from a solar project, and how to ensure landowners retain the level of control they want. 

Are you interested in using solar to power your farm? Maybe you’d like to lease your land for a solar project?  Or perhaps, you’d like to know more about how solar works and what opportunities are available for solar energy. Whatever the case may be, you'll want to join this free webinar addressing the opportunities and challenges for solar electricity. See how other farms and businesses across the state are considering solar to offset their energy costs using an affordable and sustainable energy resource.

Are you interested in using solar to power your home, farm, or business?

If so, you'll want to join one of the University of Maryland’s upcoming Solar Workshops to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with solar energy. Each workshop will cover important topics that will help you successfully, and sustainably, implement a solar electric system, including discussions of:

• How solar energy works and what role it plays
• How solar impacts you as a homeowner or landowner
• How to finance and facilitate a solar project

SPRING 2022 Flyer (PDF)