DESCRIPTION: Mid-Atlantic agricultural operations face pressures from different renewable energy sources to locate on existing farmland. This pressure comes from both utility-scale solar development and community scale solar development. Community solar development is often driven by county zoning and planning restrictions, while utility-scale solar is driven by a state siting process through Public Service Commission. This project would focus in on community solar development, researching county zoning and planning ordinances to assist an interdisciplinary team better understand how these restrictions can limit solar development and looking for best practices by counties in siting these facilities.
Being on the team for this project would include working with an undergraduate student interested in attending grad school and attending virtual meetings with agricultural economists, Extension faculty, and other experts with a background in agriculture and renewable energy development. The proposed project would include trips to agricultural operations to understand common issues they face. Working on this project will also allow for UM Scholar to have future inclusion as an author on conference presentations, journal articles, and Extension publications developed from the research.
IDEAL CANDIDATE: Students with a background in agriculture or environmental law.
LOCATION: Hybrid: Remote & In-person
PROJECT LEAD/PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Paul Goeringer, JD, MS, Senior Faculty Specialist and Extension Legal Specialist, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland, College Park
BIO: https://agnr.umd.edu/about/directory/paul-goeringer
EMAIL: lgoering@umd.edu
International Students: F-1 or J-1 students must obtain Office of International Service (OIS) authorization for this activity. If you are interested in applying, please contact OIS at ois-info@umaryland.edu before submitting your application. They will assist you in determining your specific eligibility. When reaching out, be sure to specify the particular project of interest and include a link to description.