Navisun and North Carolina-based developer Queen City Solar have structured a co-development partnership that will advance 30 MW of community solar in Maryland.
Queen City Solar is expected to acquire sites, facilitate development and advance projects through permits. The intention is for Navisun to take ownership and finance the projects from an early stage, with the partners sharing both the risk and the rewards of the work.
Four of the first projects will be located in western Maryland on dormant agricultural plots, foreign parcels and former mining sites. The other five will be located in central and eastern Maryland and will be built on underutilized agricultural land or family plots. Landowners receive annual lease income in exchange for hosting the solar panels.
“Co-development is a core strategy for us, and we are committed to developing, co-developing and building community solar projects that serve energy communities and those who have traditionally not been able to benefit from solar,” said Matt Preskenis, Navisun’s senior vice president of business development.
“These projects will be developed into Maryland’s community solar program in a way that directly benefits income-qualified customers statewide, with more to come.”
The first half of the projects are intended to complete development and break ground next year.