By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

(April 2, 2026) A solar farm on the outskirts of Berlin that drew opposition from the Worcester County Commissioners is advancing anyway under state authority that overrides local zoning.

Arizona-based developer TurningPoint Solar is scheduled to meet next Wednesday with the county’s Technical Review Committee for a major site plan review. If approved, the proposal would be heard by the county’s planning commission for a favorable or unfavorable vote, followed by a public hearing.

Worcester County’s zoning does not allow utility-scale solar farms like this one within residential areas. But Maryland’s high court in 2019 ruled that the state’s Public Service Commission has final say over placement of solar farms and may preempt local zoning. The best a county or municipality can do is write a strongly worded letter in opposition.

That’s what happened a year and a half ago. Before TurningPoint had even filed the project paperwork with the state, the developer came before the commissioners for a courtesy consultation. The commissioners were skeptical of the plan and unanimously voted to oppose the proposal.

Commissioner Eric Fiori (District 3, West Ocean City) expressed serious concern about building a renewable energy project in a spot already designated for future residential development.

“It’s really kind of affecting the way we’ve planned the growth of Berlin and growth of Worcester County. I think there’s a lot of better sites than this particular one,” he said at the Oct. 1, 2024, meeting.

A month after that meeting, TurningPoint filed an application with the Public Service Commission. Following two public comment hearings last year, the commission on Jan. 13 gave its approval for the project to proceed, a regulatory order known as a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity.

That state certification typically hinges on local site plan review to address technical details like screening, stormwater, and road access, which is why the project is headed to the county’s Technical Review Committee.

The 5-megawatt project would be constructed on a triangular parcel of agricultural land off Old Ocean City Boulevard. Its 13,780 solar panels would take up 35.5 acres of the 137-acre site. It would be enclosed by a 7-foot security fence and buffered by 35 feet of landscaping.

Power generated by the facility would be delivered through Delmarva Power’s electric distribution grid to Maryland subscribers, rather than sold directly to a single utility buyer.

TurningPoint spokeswoman Christy Scott said the proposed project would serve more than 800 residential subscribers, with a minimum of 40% of the capacity of the project set aside for low-income customers.

She also said the company scouted the site for a solar farm based on its proximity to a nearby substation, the landowner’s interest, and interconnection viability with the utility, among other factors.

TurningPoint says the project would generate $3.5 million in tax revenue from its land lease and employ about 50 people during construction. The company has been developing solar projects in Maryland since 2016.

By 2030, renewable energy sources must account for 50% of the electricity sold by suppliers in Maryland, including a 14.5% requirement for solar power, according to state law. That mandate was set by the 2019 Clean Energy Jobs Act, which expanded the state’s original 2004 renewable energy law.