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Dozens of Wicomico County residents strongly opposed a proposed new solar farm development at a hearing this week, with one woman calling the project a “monstrous nightmare.”
During a Public Service Commission hearing Thursday, residents weighed in on a 5-megawatt project on Union Church Road, near the heavily populated Deer Harbour neighborhood and about 3 miles southwest of the Salisbury airport. The development also continues the debate about redeveloping working farmland for renewable energy generation.
The Wicomico Rayne Solar Project would take up 37 acres on a 96-acre farm and include 13,500 solar panels — an increase from what was proposed at a similar hearing in December, when the project included 11,000 panels. Residents said the project would ruin the character of the neighborhood and lower property values. They also questioned what a decommissioned site would look like decades from now.
Since 2021, 17 solar projects have hit the Public Service Commission docket on the Lower Eastern Shore. Six are still pending, including three in Wicomico County, two in Worcester County and one in Somerset County. Of the projects approved, the largest was the nearly 46-megawatt Porter Mill project in Hebron.
Jonathan Stone, development director for APR Renewables, leading the Rayne Solar Project, said developers have enhanced buffer zones based on feedback from prior hearings and added a privacy fence to reduce visibility from the roadway. He called the development “a very efficient and modern system” and said electricity generated at the site would go straight onto the grid — a key component as state law requires 50% renewable energy by 2030, including 14.5% from solar.
Mark Mank, a case manager for the Department of Natural Resources’ Power Plant Research Program, said six state agencies reviewed the project and evaluated potential noise generated from the facility, the visual impact on the neighborhood, any disturbed cultural resources, and impacts to public safety, transportation, the economy and greenhouse gas emissions. Based on that review, it earned a recommendation on March 25.
Melissa Cassell, president of the Deer Harbour Association, said the development was built in the 1970s with the understanding “that the surrounding land would remain residential or rural in character.” The solar farm would be directly across the road, she said.
“A large fenced solar farm across the street is considered industrial in scale and would fundamentally change the character and the livability of our community,” Cassell said.
She said homeowners also worried about what happens after decommissioning.
“Solar facilities often operate for 25 to 35 years. In our community, we need enforceable assurances that there’s a clear enforceable decommissioning plan so that the site cannot become an abandoned industrial property decades for now,” she said.
Lillie Largey said she’s lived in Deer Harbour for 55 years. She’s heard that solar projects “have become monstrous nightmares after 15-20 years.”
“We are destroying the character of the Eastern Shore,” Largey said. “The places you’re destroying are places where families live … I think we ought to think very carefully before we start this.”
Nathaniel Morton, a Union Church Road resident, said the project would “permanently and irreversibly” impact his property values and quality of life.
Morton said he found deficiencies in the filings, including 2,500 additional panels since the prior filing. He also found issues with statements about neighborhood density, setbacks, and “a bad interpretation of the area” related to nearby wetlands.
Others worried about repurposing working farmland for solar development. Dr. Edward McGinnis said “Agriculture is key to this county,” but the state “emasculates” that industry.
“At some point, politics is local,” McGinnis said. “I’d hate to see this fine county change because of the short-sightedness of the energy policies of this state.”
Jackson Road resident Robert Sterling said he spent his entire career in the agricultural industry, adding, “Taking away any production in this area is pretty critical to the main economic driver for this whole county and this whole part of the state.”
Wicomico County Council President John Cannon said there are also issues of local control. Cannon said recent state legislation has “taken the local economy away from the local government.”
He said the county passed laws in 2023 requiring buffers for solar farms — but there’s only so much they can do at the local level. Cannon said the county sent a letter to the Public Service Commission expressing concerns.
Wicomico County Councilmember David Ennis said the project appeared to be an “extremely intense development.”
“The proximity [to neighbors] is a real concern,” Ennis said.
Public Utility Law Judge Kristin Case Lawrence said public comments will be accepted through April 30. She said there was not a formal date to make a final determination on the project.
The next step in the process is an evidentiary hearing tentatively set for May 6.
Have a news tip? Contact Eastern Shore bureau chief Josh Davis at jdavis@baltsun.com or on X as @JoshDavis4Shore.
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