The motto on Somerset County’s official seal is “Semper Eadem” — Latin for “always the same.”
That may no longer be the case after the board that oversees development approved Thursday what stands to become one of the largest solar farms in the Eastern United States.
The outcome was a bit of a foregone conclusion since the Maryland Public Service Commission had signed off on the facility back in December. By law, its decisions on solar projects take precedent over local ones.
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. of Canada plans to generate up to 150 megawatts of power from arrays scattered across several large plots of land south of Princess Anne. Construction on the first phase of 75 megawatts is tentatively scheduled to begin in May and go online by the end of the year.
The largest existing solar operation east of the Mississippi River is a 75 megawatt plant in southeast Florida, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. A handful boasting 100 megawatts or more are under development.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Jeremy Cox over at Delmarva Now