Commissioners workshop solar ordinance and NFPA 855 for energy storage; county delays storage provisions pending state guidance

Caroline County held a workshop Sept. 23 to review a proposed local solar ordinance, a proposed Agricultural Land Preservation Fund (to receive compensatory contributions when solar or energy‑storage projects are sited on prime farmland), and the applicability of NFPA 855 (the National Fire Protection Association standard for energy‑storage systems).

Crystal Dads, director of planning and codes, summarized the draft zoning language: the county proposes to regulate utility-scale solar and energy-storage systems differently by size — less than 1 megawatt (local zoning authority retained) and 1 megawatt or greater (state siting standards and Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity frameworks interact). Dads said the draft would require a certificate of compliance with NFPA 855 “issued by the authority having jurisdiction” for energy‑storage systems and would require developers to contribute to an agricultural land‑preservation fund when projects affect prime farmland. The draft also included screening and setback requirements tied to the state siting standards.

Adam Smith of First State Inspection, invited to speak about NFPA 855, briefed the board on the code’s state and national status, and on common…