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Carroll County tables Pine Branch solar siting agreement after public hearing and developer briefing
Summary
After public comment and a developer presentation from Samsung, the Carroll County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to table the Pine Branch utility-scale solar siting agreement pending further review and outreach.
The Carroll County Board of Supervisors opened a public hearing on the proposed Pine Branch solar siting agreement and heard several members of the public and energy stakeholders before tabling the agreement until the next meeting.
Public commenter Greg Alger told the board he and several neighbors had not been adequately notified about the project and asked whether electricity generated would benefit locals or be exported: "I didn't even know about this solar panel thing the last week...How does it benefit Carroll County?" he asked.
Ben Wilson, director of strategy and engagement at Energy Right, urged protecting private property rights while recognizing local economic and energy-security benefits of generation. "Solar, battery storage, renewable energy generally, is a great way to invest and generate revenue for a county," Wilson said.
Chris Simmons, development manager for Samsung's Pine Branch project, said the project would be 40 megawatts and "enough to power over 7,000 residences." He added the project will interconnect to a high-voltage transmission line and that once power hits that line "the electrons are free flowing" across the grid. Simmons said the developer performed outreach, including mailers to properties within about 0.25 to 0.5 miles, and held a community meeting at the senior center.
Board members questioned the developer about decommissioning, maintenance and groundcover beneath panels; Simmons said no Samsung projects had been decommissioned in his experience but that racking is steel pylons and that sites can be returned to agriculture after removal. He also said the developer is open to sheep grazing or local maintenance contractors to manage vegetation.
Following the public comments and Q&A, a supervisor moved to table the agreement until the next meeting. The motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously to table the siting agreement.
The developer and stakeholders were encouraged to continue community engagement before the board takes the item up again.
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