In 2015, the state legislature passed bills mandating the creation of a Community Solar Pilot Program. It was made permanent in January 2025, removing the previous 2 MW project cap and increasing the maximum project size to 5 MW for greater deployment. The program’s goal is to encourage private investment in the state’s solar market and diversify its energy resources to better meet its ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standard to reach 50% clean electricity by 2030. It is also designed to bolster low and middle-income subscribership to bring greater equity to solar.

In Maryland, the required utilities for the Community Solar Program are BGE, Pepco, Potomac Edison and Delmarva Power, all investor-owned utilities. For each utility, all their service areas are eligible for community solar subscribership, while municipal and cooperative utilities also have the option to participate. The state’s community solar program is a prime example of the benefits that result from successful collaboration among legislators, utilities, regulators, community groups, landowners, environmentalists and solar industry leaders.

Maryland has experienced exciting community solar growth since 2015. Since the Pilot Program’s inception, 139 community solar projects have been developed, representing 204 MW of operating capacity. Currently, Maryland has 90 operational community solar projects totaling 133 MW, in addition to 61 under construction and 156 in development. Strong demand, combined with the development of supportive legislation, means that the market is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade.

Standard Solar’s Leadership in Our “Home” State

For many years our company has had a strong presence in Maryland in commercial and community solar deployment. We’ve been responsible for making 39 solar projects for a total 110 MW of clean energy) a reality in the state, some of which have been groundbreaking for their innovation and far-reaching impact. Of those 63 projects, 14 are community solar.

Recent community solar systems include a 2.9 MW array in Sykesville that provides cost savings to hundreds and a 24 MW project portfolio developed in partnership with OneEnergy Renewables and CleanChoice Energy that benefits 5,000+ households via nine projects across five different Maryland counties and three utility territories. All nine of those projects are ‘dual-use,’ which means they function as solar farms and pollinator habitats. Our 2.8 MW Shepherds Mill Community Solar array in Carroll County is another prime example of agrivoltaics as it employs solar grazing. It also allocates 30% of its output to service low- to moderate-income subscribers.

Standard Solar has become one of the most trusted and respected owner-operator companies in Maryland, having achieved leadership ranking in Maryland on Solar Power World’s Top Solar Contractors list for multiple years.