Board approves rooftop solar at 100 Fry Drive with emergency‑response training requirement

The Silver Spring Township Board of Supervisors on May 27 approved a conditional‑use permit allowing roof‑mounted solar at 100 Fry Drive, imposing conditions intended to ensure safe on‑site operations and coordinated emergency response.

The approval followed a public hearing in which applicant counsel Paul T. Schemel and project witness Garrett Peterson of Sigma Renewables described the installations as rooftop arrays that do not include battery storage, tie into existing PPL infrastructure, and sit well below the township height limit. Peterson told the Board the sites would be 2.25 megawatts alternating current (MW AC) each and emphasized that “this is solar only. No batteries involved with this project itself.” He also described how inverters and transformers would be distributed on the roof and how wiring would be underground between rooftop equipment and the PPL interconnect.

Why it matters: The Township adopted a conditional approval to balance the local zoning allowance for structure‑mounted solar in the industrial zone with public‑safety protections. Supervisors sought details on screening for ground‑level equipment, noise, glare, and a clear decommissioning/lease‑termination plan.

Board discussion and conditions Board members asked technical and safety questions. Supervisor Laura Brown praised the applicant’s Planning Commission presentation and the noise analysis; Jonathan Robinson, Township Engineer, noted that final equipment locations and screening detail should be confirmed on construction drawings. Peterson said the team performed a noise study using conservative assumptions and provided FAA glare screening results; he added the applicant’s Lease contains a decommissioning provision and that the applicant would notify the Township if the Lease is terminated.

The Board attached two explicit conditions before issuing the conditional use: (1) prior to issuance of any building permit the applicant must submit an emergency response and training plan and obtain approval from the Township Emergency Management Coordinator; and (2) the applicant must pay the cost of initial emergency training for the number of emergency responders identified by the Emergency Management Coordinator. Solicitor Sean M. Shultz confirmed those conditions could be enforced through the permit.

Applicant commitments and Township oversight Peterson committed to site‑specific walk‑throughs and to work with emergency responders on location procedures and signage. The applicant also said ground‑level equipment would be screened where practical; where equipment sits on paved or concrete surfaces adjacent to existing industrial equipment, the applicant said the building and existing site layout provide functional screening but offered to work with the Board on additional measures if requested.

What comes next With the conditional use approved, the applicant will submit plan and permit documents showing equipment locations and the required emergency‑response and training plan. The Board directed staff and the Township Emergency Management Coordinator to review and approve the training plan before any building permits are issued. The motion to approve the conditional use was made by Supervisor David R. Lenker and seconded by Supervisor Laura Brown and carried at the May 27 meeting.

Reporting note: Statements and quoted language in this article are taken from public testimony and Board discussion recorded in the Silver Spring Township meeting transcript for May 27, 2026.