Solar Now Allowed In All Zoning Districts Across Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — New legislation that allows solar in all zones across the county, including on agriculturally preserved land, was passed earlier this month by the Howard County Council as Council Bill 17-2021.

“This legislation expands business opportunities for commercial and industrial districts and for our many farms and preserved agricultural property,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. “Howard County has more than 300 farms and has preserved 20,000 acres of agricultural land. Imagine for a moment the clean energy and power we can generate if just a fraction of this land is used for solar, not to mention the benefits it brings to our local businesses and environment. Together we can continue to create a cleaner and more sustainable environment, protect our planet, and power our future.”

CB 17-2021 expands opportunities for solar within the county to:

• Allow rooftop solar collectors in all zoning districts
• Allow ground-mount Commercial Solar Facilities in more zoning districts, specifically allowing ground-mounted solar in commercial and industrial districts
• Add a preliminary and final review by the Agricultural Preservation Board to allow input on the placement and other details of the project
• Limit the size of ground-mount commercial solar facility on Agricultural Land Preservation Program (ALPP) properties
• Requires that ground-mount solar facilities on ALPP provide pollinator or native grass habitats, grazing for livestock or other ecologically enhancing alternative under the solar array

This expansion of solar puts Howard County at the forefront in Maryland in its fight against climate change and puts the county on track to meet its renewable energy goals, including:

• Receive 20 percent of its power for local government operations from renewable sources, especially solar power.
• Reduce petroleum fuel consumption in its fleet by 20 percent, by improving the average fuel economy of its fleet, reducing idling, and increasing the number of electric and hybrid electric vehicles.
• Cut energy use in its facilities by 25 percent, well beyond the required 15 percent reduction, making Howard County the first jurisdiction to go beyond state requirements.

“This is what fighting climate change actually looks like,” Joshua Feldmark, director of the office of community sustainability said. “Doing the hard work of combing through rules and regulations, working with all invested parties and striking agreements that allow for solar across the board while protecting other key environmental interests.”