Gov. Wes Moore announced $17 million in grants Oct. 28, 2025, to broaden access to community solar projects for income-qualified Maryland residents unable to install rooftop panels, targeting renters and those in unsuitable properties to lower energy costs and advance clean energy goals.
The funding, administered by the Maryland Energy Administration, prioritizes projects on landfills and brownfields, allocating about $12 million to transform such sites into solar hubs. These initiatives must dedicate subscriptions to low-income households, with half the energy provided free through designations by the Maryland Department of Human Services and the other half at a 25 percent discount off utility residential rates. Non-landfill or brownfield projects require 15 percent of output for low-income subscribers, guaranteeing at least 12 percent savings, though many achieve more than 20 percent reductions.
Applications open immediately and close at 3 p.m. ET on Dec. 23. Eligible applicants include developers submitting portfolios under a single W-9 form, with minimum grants of $50,000 and maximums of $1 million for standard sites or $6 million for repurposed wastelands. Projects funded under the prior Community Solar Pilot Program cannot reapply.
“The reason we are so focused on the issue of energy affordability is because we hear from our constituents about it every day,” Moore said. “That’s why we’re taking this important step forward to make energy more sustainable and bring prices down in communities across the state. And as we continue in this work, we’re making sure to leave no one behind.”
Community solar arrays allow multiple households to share the output from off-site panels, crediting bills via utility subscriptions without upfront costs or property modifications. In Maryland, subscribers receive kilowatt-hour credits proportional to their share, typically 5 to 10 percent of usage, translating to $50 to $100 annual savings for average households. The model supports equity by reserving portions for moderate-income groups, defined as 80 percent of area median income, and aligns with state mandates for 50 percent renewable energy by 2030.
Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul G. Pinsky highlighted the program’s versatility. “Community Solar is important for several different reasons. It allows households on fixed or moderate incomes to cut their electric bills. And Community Solar requires limited up-front investment,” Pinsky said. “Perhaps above all, Community Solar allows many Marylanders who can’t put solar on their roofs to receive the same cost savings as those who can.”
The initiative builds on the 2017 Community Solar Pilot Program, which launched 43 arrays by mid-2022 serving Baltimore Gas and Electric, Pepco, Potomac Edison and Delmarva Power territories. That effort generated 100 megawatts, enough for 20,000 homes, and spurred private investment exceeding $200 million. Recent expansions under the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 codified the program, requiring 40 percent low- to moderate-income subscriptions and prioritizing environmental justice communities.
In Southern Maryland, where Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative serves about 170,000 accounts across St. Mary’s, Charles and Calvert counties, community solar adoption lags due to utility exclusions from the pilot. SMECO focuses on net metering for individual installations, with more than 8,900 residential customers generating credits as of April 2025, averaging $58 monthly. The co-op’s 2.1-megawatt Hughesville solar farm, operational since 2012, offsets 400 homes’ usage annually and demonstrates regional viability on former agricultural land.
Yet potential exists for grant-funded growth. A 2024 Maryland Energy Administration assessment identified six landfills and one brownfield as Tier 1 sites for community solar statewide, including candidates in Charles County near Waldorf. These 100- to 200-acre parcels, often capped and idle, suit panels that avoid soil disturbance while generating 5 to 10 megawatts per site. Repurposing aligns with county brownfield redevelopment plans, such as Calvert’s cleanup of former gas stations in Prince Frederick, where solar could yield $500,000 in annual local tax revenue.
Farmers in the region express mixed views on solar expansion. Legislation passed in 2025 limits arrays on prime farmland to protect agriculture, which spans 40 percent of Charles County’s 350,000 acres, but allows them on marginal soils. Developers like Nautilus Solar Energy, which led Maryland’s market in 2020 with 20 projects, eye Southern Maryland for 5-megawatt arrays that could serve 1,000 households at 10 percent bill cuts. In March 2025, Solar Landscape energized 14 arrays totaling 6.6 megawatts elsewhere in the state, a model for local replication.
Environmentally, the grants advance Maryland’s 60 percent emissions reduction target by 2031. Landfill solar prevents methane leaks, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, while brownfield panels remediate contaminants through shading and vegetation. Subscribers in Southern Maryland, facing average bills of $140 monthly from SMECO, stand to gain most, especially in coastal areas like Lexington Park where sea-level rise threatens traditional infrastructure.
The Maryland Public Service Commission oversees subscriptions, ensuring transparency via online portals where residents select projects based on savings and location. Low-income designations draw from Department of Human Services data, prioritizing families below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines. Successful applicants must complete construction within 24 months, with grants disbursed in phases tied to milestones like permitting and interconnection.
This round follows $30 million allocated in 2024 for similar efforts, funding 15 projects that subscribed 5,000 households. As applications roll in, the Energy Administration anticipates 20 to 30 awards, scaling capacity by 150 megawatts. For Southern Maryland residents, inquiries route through SMECO’s energy efficiency line at 301-352-5050, though direct participation awaits utility inclusion.
