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As you may recall, SCA was very involved in shaping a Montgomery County zoning ordinance in 2021 that allows landowners in the Ag Reserve—working with solar developers—to place ground-based solar arrays on portions of their property. We fought hard to make sure the initiative didn’t take arable land out of farming—and were successful in that effort. We also promoted a provision that allows homeowners and landowners who install solar—on their rooftops or the ground—to produce more energy than they need and sell it back into the grid. The county issued a 14-page report in late December on the impact, so far, of the solar initiative. The analysis concluded it has yielded a “modest start to the [county’s] solar program” that demonstrates “it is possible to promote solar projects on agricultural lands, aiding in reducing carbon emissions and contributing towards our larger renewable energy and solar production goals, while ensuring agriculture remains the primary use within the Agricultural Reserve.” You can read our full take on the report here. We also recently posted a piece by SCA board member Ellen Gordon on agrivoltaics—which involves the combined use of land for agriculture and generating solar energy via ground-based panels. You can read that article here. Wishing you a good February.
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