The issue is that the state of Maryland passed a senate bill called MD SB931-2025.
 

Harford County's concerns with SB 931 were largely the same concerns raised by many rural Maryland counties, but they were especially significant because of the county's strong farmland-preservation policies.

The biggest objection was that SB 931 expands the authority of the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) and limits the ability of counties to control where utility-scale solar projects are located.

Harford County Executive Robert G. Cassilly submitted testimony arguing that the bill would:

• Override local zoning authority.
• Restrict county regulation of solar facilities.
• Undermine county comprehensive planning.
• Reduce meaningful local input into siting decisions.

The Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) similarly argued that the bill significantly limits county authority to establish and enforce local livability and safety standards for solar projects.

Opponents argued that SB 931 permits utility-scale solar development on land that taxpayers spent decades preserving for agriculture. Farm groups warned that state preemption could accelerate the conversion of productive farmland to industrial energy uses.

County officials argued that local zoning and comprehensive plans already balance:

• agriculture,
• conservation,
• rural character,
• environmental protection,
• and economic development.
• 
  

The County Executive's testimony stated that SB 931 conflicts with local comprehensive planning and long-standing zoning protections relied upon by property owners and communities. 

Many Harford residents view this as a fundamental property-rights issue because decisions traditionally made by locally elected officials may instead be made in Annapolis and before the PSC.

Residents near proposed solar projects have raised concerns regarding:

• scenic impacts,
• loss of rural character,
• visual effects along historic roads,
• stormwater runoff,
• soil compaction,
• wildlife habitat,
• property values,
• construction traffic
• 
  

Although SB 931 added setbacks, landscaping requirements, decommissioning bonds, and soil-protection provisions after negotiations, many local opponents felt those protections did not fully address the impacts of very large solar facilities in agricultural communities.

MD SB931-2025 is destroying rural communities in Maryland. I do not believe the “green” gain is worth the price we are paying. I do believe there are much better places to put solar panels.

Generations of rural families have preserved the farmland we grow our food on. We owe it to the generations that come after us to preserve the farmland they will grow their food on.

You can’t eat solar panels…

1. Sunlight hits the panel.
2. The panel contains many photovoltaic (PV) cells, usually made from silicon.
3. Photons from sunlight excite electrons in the silicon.
4. The movement of electrons creates direct current (DC) electricity.
5. An inverter converts DC electricity into alternating current (AC), which homes and businesses use.

• Solar panels – generate electricity from sunlight.
• Inverter – converts DC power to usable AC power.
• Racking system – holds panels in place.
• Electrical equipment – wiring, disconnects, meters, and safety devices.
• Battery storage (optional) – stores excess energy for later use.

• Made from a single silicon crystal.
• Most efficient common type.
• Typically black in appearance.
• Higher cost.

• Made from multiple silicon crystals.
• Slightly lower efficiency.
• Typically blue in appearance.
• Lower cost.

• Lightweight and flexible.
• Lower efficiency.
• Often used in specialized applications.

Almost 9,000 solar panels

which means almost 9,000 tracking motors (Or is it 18,000?) (45-65 dBA each)

at present, up to 40 inverters and 40 transformers (45-65 dBA each) 

• 30 dBA – quiet library
• 40 dBA – quiet residential neighborhood at night
• 50 dBA – moderate rainfall
• 60 dBA – normal conversation
• 70 dBA – vacuum cleaner from several feet away
• 80 dBA – busy roadway traffic

For large solar facilities such as the proposed Harford Chapel Solar project, the primary noise sources are usually:

• Inverters
• Transformers
• Cooling fans
• Substation equipment

The solar panels themselves are essentially silent.

Noise decreases significantly with distance. A utility-scale inverter producing 75 dBA at 10 feet may be approximately:

• 69 dBA at 20 feet
• 63 dBA at 40 feet
• 57 dBA at 80 feet
• 51 dBA at 160 feet
• 45 dBA at 320 feet

Actual reductions depend on terrain, vegetation, buildings, weather, and whether multiple inverters operate simultaneously.

For Maryland PSC cases, a noise study often evaluates:

• Existing ambient noise levels
• Daytime and nighttime noise
• Predicted sound at property lines
• Predicted sound at nearby residences
• Compliance with local or state noise standards

Number of MotorsIncrease Over One Motor 10 dB - 2+3 dB - 4+6 dB - 8+9 dB - 10+10 dB

A 10 dB increase is generally perceived as roughly twice as loud.

So:

• 1 motor at 50 dBA → baseline
• 2 motors at 53 dBA → slightly louder
• 10 motors at 60 dBA → about twice as loud as the single motor

If you're referring to solar-panel tracking motors:

• Tracker motors usually operate only briefly when adjusting panel position.
• Most are relatively quiet, often in the 40–60 dBA range at close distances, depending on the model and gearbox.
• If a solar array uses two tracker motors simultaneously instead of one, the increase would typically be around 3 dB if both motors are the same type and equally audible from the measurement point.

Suppose one tracker motor measures:

• 55 dBA at 50 feet

Then:

• Two motors operating together ≈ 58 dBA
• Four motors operating together ≈ 61 dBA

But I do believe we are talking about almost 9000 motors unless each solar panel has two tracker motors than we are talking 18,000 motors plus the 40 inverters and the 40 transformers...

I do not believe that any calculation can take into account the absolute peace one feels on a quiet summer day listening to the birds singing.  They talk about minimal sound.  Any industrial sound in a bucolic setting will destroy the peace we know and love.

And don't forget the valley .

A valley can act like a natural sound amplifier and funnel, especially at night, allowing mechanical noise to travel farther and sometimes sound louder than it would on flat land.

When sound is produced in a valley:

• The hillsides can reflect sound back toward the center
• This creates a funneling or channeling effect
• Sound can travel farther than on flat ground

This is especially noticeable with:

• Machinery noise
• Traffic
• Industrial equipment (like fans or transformers)

• Sloped terrain reflects sound waves like a “natural amphitheater”
• This can create:
  • Echoes
  • Repeated sound arrivals
  • “Reverberation” (sound lingering longer)

Steeper, hard surfaces (rock, dry ground) reflect more sound than soft vegetation.

Wind direction strongly affects valley sound:

• Down-valley wind: carries sound farther in one direction
• Up-valley wind: can block or reduce sound reach
• Gusty conditions scatter sound and reduce clarity

In rural valleys (like parts of Harford County, MD):

• Equipment noise (inverters, transformers, trackers) may carry farther than expected
• Nighttime conditions can make even moderate noise more noticeable
• Terrain can create “line-of-sight sound paths” between a facility and homes

That’s why acoustic studies for projects in valley terrain often:

• Model nighttime worst-case conditions
• Include terrain-based propagation models (not just flat ground)
• Evaluate multiple receptor points along slopes and ridgelines

Here is a site-specific, terrain-based sound propagation model for 2901 Rocks Road, Jarrettsville, MD 21084, using the actual geography of the area and typical utility-scale solar equipment behavior.

Jarrettsville, Maryland sits in northwestern Harford County, an area characterized by:

• Rolling Piedmont hills
• Narrow valleys and ridgelines
• Elevations around 600–700 ft in many locations
• Deep wooded stream corridors (like Deer Creek nearby)

The property itself is part of a large rural/valley system, not flat farmland.

Nearby reference property data shows:

• ~26-acre wooded parcels common in the area
• Elevation variation across slopes and creek corridors 

Harford County overall has terrain ranging from sea level to ~800 ft elevation, with strong rolling relief in the north. 

If a utility-scale solar site were located within ~0.5–1 mile of this property, the main sound sources would be:

• Inverter stations: ~65–75 dBA at source
• Transformers: ~70–80 dBA at source
• Cooling fans: continuous daytime hum
• Tracker motors: intermittent 45–65 dBA bursts

Panels themselves are silent.

• 65–80 dBA near equipment
• Clearly audible mechanical hum
• Dominated by transformers + inverter fans

👉 This is the only zone with “industrial” sound character.

At this distance in Jarrettsville-style terrain:

• 45–55 dBA typical range
• Terrain begins to control sound more than distance alone

• Hillside reflection can “bend” sound sideways along the valley
• Tree lines reduce higher frequencies
• Sound follows the lowest resistance path (valley floor)

👉 Homes aligned down-valley may hear more than uphill homes.

7

• 30–45 dBA typical (low background level)
• Often blends into ambient rural sound

Jarrettsville valleys frequently create:

• Acoustic shadow zones (quiet behind ridges)
• OR sound reflection zones (sound carried across slopes)
• 
  

At night in this area:

• Cold air settles in Deer Creek valley corridors
• Warmer air sits above
• Sound bends downward and becomes trapped

• Effective sound travel distance can double
• Low-frequency inverter/transformer hum becomes more noticeable
• Quiet rural background (25–35 dBA) makes equipment easier to detect
• 
  

For a site like 2901 Rocks Road:

• Down in a valley bottom nearby → higher exposure
• Across a ridge → often partially blocked
• On same slope orientation → strongest propagation path

• Down-valley alignment (sound “channels” toward homes)
• Nighttime inversion conditions
• Equipment placed in low topographic bowl

This part of Harford County is NOT acoustically uniform.

Instead, sound behaves like:

• 📡 A directional signal guided by valleys
• Not a simple expanding circle

So impacts depend heavily on:

• Ridge lines
• Creek valleys (like Deer Creek system)
• Line-of-sight between equipment and homes

At 2901 Rocks Road in Jarrettsville, a utility-scale solar facility would likely:

• Be quiet at the panels themselves
• Produce moderate continuous hum at equipment sites
• Have sound that travels unevenly through valleys
• Be most noticeable:
  • At night
  • In down-valley directions
  • Where terrain funnels sound toward homes