Public Hearing Mar. 26 for Solar Star Dorothy Avenue Project (Harford Co)
March 12, 2026
(BALTIMORE, MD) – Local residents and other interested members of the public are invited to comment on a proposal by Solar Star Dorothy Avenue, LLC to build a 5.0 MW solar generating facility in Harford County. The hearing will take place on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Southern Precinct Community Room, 1305 Pulaski Highway in Edgewood.
The Maryland Public Service Commission has delegated this case to its Public Utility Law Judge Division; Public Utility Law Judge Christine L. Burke will preside over the hearing.
The developer – TotalEnergies Renewables USA – has applied to the Commission for what is known as a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), which grants an applicant the authority to construct an energy generating station in Maryland. According to the application, the developer proposes to build the project on 24 acres of an approximately 82-acre property at 3440 Dorothy Avenue in Joppa.
The project is intended to be part of Maryland’s community solar program and will generate energy to be allocated to community solar subscribers in Baltimore Gas and Electric Company’s service territory.
In addition to taking comments from the public, the hearing will include a presentation by the applicant, brief statements by the parties, including the Power Plant Research Program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Commission’s Technical Staff, as to their respective roles and recommendations in the case.
The hearing will also include a virtual option for those unable to attend in person. Attendees can register from the ‘File a Public Comment’ page of the Commission’s website, https://www.pscmaryland.com/online-services/file-a-public-comment/:
• Scroll down to the Calendly application;
• Click on the entry for ‘9794-Solar Star Dorothy Avenue, LLC (CPCN)’
• Click on March 26, 2026, select 6:00 p.m. and click ‘Next’
• Enter name and email address and click ‘Schedule Event’
Registrants will receive a Zoom link by email after finishing the sign-up process. Barring any technical difficulties, a recording will be available on the PULJ Division’s (MD PSC PULJs) YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@mdpscpuljs327
In addition to the hearing, written comments can be sent (by March 30, 2026) electronically through the Commission’s online portal at: https://www.pscmaryland.com/online-services/file-a-public-comment/, or by mail. Comments sent by mail should be addressed to: Jamie Bergin, Chief Clerk, Maryland Public Service Commission, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul Street, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. So that they are noted in the proper case file, all comments should reference Case No. 9794.
In addition to the online docket, the application is available for review at the Harford County Planning and Zoning Department, 220 South Main Street (2nd Floor) in Bel Air.
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Media Contact: Tori Leonard | tori.leonard@maryland.gov
About the Public Service Commission:
The Maryland Public Service Commission regulates electric and gas utilities and suppliers, telephone companies (land lines), private water and sewer companies, passenger motor vehicle carriers for hire, taxicab companies in some jurisdictions and bay pilot rates. The Commission implements the energy policy of the State and also regulates the siting of energy generating facilities and high-voltage transmission lines.