Community Solar Program

The Maryland Public Service Commission has adopted regulations for a community solar program in Maryland, with an emphasis on providing renewable energy benefits for low and moderate income customers. Community solar customers are expected to see some savings on their electric bills and all Marylanders will benefit from more clean energy options. How community solar works.

In addition, the program will encourage private investment in Maryland’s solar industry and diversify the state’s energy resource mix to meet Renewable Portfolio Standard and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act goals.

Links to utility community solar programs and interconnection applications:

The seven-year community solar pilot program became a permanent program with legislation enacted in 2023. The Commission must adopt regulations by January 1, 2025.

The community solar pilot:

  • Provides access to solar-generated electricity – in a manner similar to rooftop solar and net metering – for all Maryland customers without requiring property ownership;
  • Incentivizes solar companies to provide service to low- and moderate-income customers;
  • Sets aside program capacity for each area of the state with a statewide cap at about 418 MW. About 125 MW is set aside for projects focused on low and moderate income customers;
  • Attracts new investment in Maryland’s renewable infrastructure and green economy;
  • Allows renters to contract for solar energy with the same benefits as rooftop owners;
  • Creates separate program capacity for small systems and systems built on brownfields, parking lots, or industrial areas;
  • Allows smaller and rural service territories to make use of existing solar facilities while encouraging construction of new systems in the urban and suburban areas of Maryland;
  • Includes significant consumer protections, including prohibition against unreasonable fees and clear contract disclosure requirements; and
  • Allows the Commission Staff to collect necessary data to study the impact on Maryland’s electricity grid over the seven-year pilot program.

Individual community solar projects will be operated by subscriber organizations (which can include utilities, retail electricity suppliers, solar developers, etc.) that are approved by the Public Service Commission (application form here) and the electric company serving the location of each project. Please note: in order to e-file the subscriber organization application, it must be converted to a PDF. The template for the community solar contract disclosure form (along with instructions), can be found here. This application process has not changed in the last year. On average, the time to process an application and receive a decision is 8-10 weeks.

The Maryland Energy Administration offers grants for residential and commercial community solar subscriptions. More information can be found on MEA’s web site.

For more information, please see Frequently Asked Questions.