Some residents of the North Liberty space have raised opposition to a undertaking that might plant photo voltaic farms on 2,300 to 2,500 hectares of farmland, pitting one view of environmental safety in opposition to one other.
Scott Remer of Hexagon Energy sees it as a strategy to loosen up the drained farm, stuffed with native and pollinator-friendly crops, whereas lengthy rows of photo voltaic panels quietly do their work on the 35 – as much as 40 years lease obtained by the corporate. from property house owners.
The 300 megawatt assortment of panels – sufficient to energy 50,000 houses – can be fed into the close by Dumont electrical substation. Because it is one of the vital highly effective substations within the US, Remer, senior director of improvement, says that makes for an inexpensive alternative for Hexagon to easily “plug and play.”
But opponents see a misnomer in “photo voltaic farm.” They see the lack of food-producing land – principally corn or soybeans – to get replaced by industrial merchandise of glass and steel.
They argued that it might disrupt the agricultural landscapes that drew them to reside there, with subsequent claims that it might disrupt wildlife.
Among them, Amanda Mitchell of Riley Road began an internet site and energy known as Rethink Industrial Solar in St. Joseph County after lately being requested by Hexagon to run a transmission line via his property. His shock and unfavourable response got here after Hexagon had spent a number of years reaching out and establishing leases in particular areas the place it needed to construct photo voltaic panels.
Originally, neighbors cited the corporate as planning photo voltaic fields immediately south of Potato Creek State Park alongside Indiana 4. But a more moderen map from Hexagon would not present Indiana 4. All that scattered parcels with Hexagon leases are south of there.
The proposed modifications will come to the County’s Area Plan Commission at 3:30 p.m. June 18 for a public listening to, then the fee’s vote on a suggestion. Finally, it can come to the county council for a remaining vote on July 9.
The complaints prompted officers in St. Joseph County to suggest modifications to re-tighten zoning ordinances that, in 2020, have been relaxed to really encourage such giant farm photo voltaic operations.
What are the proposed modifications
County council member Amy Drake, who pushed the invoice, echoes residents’ issues. He mentioned present laws are so lax that “photo voltaic can change into unregulated.” He mentioned neighbors are rightly nervous about “not figuring out” what a large-scale photo voltaic farm operation might do.
“I – and others on the council – are pushing for a particular use requirement for photo voltaic,” Drake mentioned, “so we’ve the chance to vote and think about each photo voltaic farm that goes on ag land – and so we be certain we do not find yourself with an overgrowth of photo voltaic and an extreme lack of our agricultural land.”
As the ordinance is at the moment written, photo voltaic farms may be constructed with out going to the county council for a listening to.
The proposed modifications require a particular use allow for land zoned agricultural – subsequently, a evaluate and vote by the council.
The modifications may also set necessities for landscaping between the photo voltaic panels that may profit pollinating bugs and birds, together with clarifying the settlement on how you can take away the photo voltaic panels as soon as the tip of the land lease many years later.
The modifications would require photo voltaic panels to be set again no less than 250 toes from an “excluded” neighbor’s dwelling or 150 toes from the neighbor’s property line, whichever is larger. huge. Additionally, there should be a visible buffer of evergreen bushes if the photo voltaic panels are adjoining to a subdivision with greater than 10 tons.
Remer mentioned such modifications are all good, however the firm felt just like the county was doing a “bait and swap” after years of negotiating with county departments on the undertaking.
“We struggled with how you can adapt,” he mentioned.
He additionally famous that the corporate is keen to exclude some areas and crops bushes and different crops as visible buffer. He mentioned Hexagon additionally has funding and plans for taking out the panels when their time is up.
“Our purpose is to make it as non-impactful as attainable,” he mentioned.
Going for a photo voltaic moratorium?
Now Drake desires to be even stricter. He advised that the required setback needs to be elevated to 500 toes. County planning workers reported that, statewide, some counties sometimes require setbacks of 100 to 300 toes.
If and when the proposed modifications cross, Drake and council member Randy Figg, whose district contains North Liberty, are urging the Area Plan Commission to additionally place a countywide moratorium on photo voltaic. farm. Drake mentioned he was extra motivated as a result of he felt many residents have been in opposition. Opponents almost crammed the council chambers at Tuesday’s assembly, and earlier than it, many lined the road in entrance of the County-City Building with indicators studying “Stop Solar Farms” and “Save Our Farmland.”
In central Indiana, Boone County officers handed such a solar-farm moratorium this yr. LaPorte County officers drafted one. And Marshall County officers are pondering of 1.
The St. Joseph County already has two giant photo voltaic operations: the Honeysuckle Solar Farm on about 1,000 acres close to New Carlisle and Indiana Michigan Power’s 210-acre photo voltaic farm in Granger.
Drake mentioned he has heard there are a couple of different photo voltaic farms within the works within the county. A moratorium, he mentioned, is a strategy to cease photo voltaic from studying what the consequences actually are.
But he additionally questioned photo voltaic as a dependable substitute for different types of vitality, the federal government subsidies that help photo voltaic and whether or not photo voltaic panels may be recycled on the finish of their life.
Linda Matzat and her husband treasure their property the place uncommon wildflowers develop within the 40 acres of native forest they protect and the numerous extra acres of native prairie and ecosystems they plant.
They, too, adamantly mentioned no when Hexagon approached them for entry. He admits they’re on the “backside of the educational curve” on photo voltaic farms, however they have been troubled by on-line claims they have not been in a position to examine, equivalent to one which mentioned waterfowl could possibly be harmed. after they dive in the direction of the photo voltaic panels. , they mistook it for water.
Amanda Richman, who lives close to Lakeville, stood among the many protesters Tuesday and mentioned there needs to be a moratorium, “as a result of individuals want time to research the difficulty, and farmers want time to research what they’re entering into.”
Another man, who gave solely his identify as Richard, who lives three miles from potential photo voltaic operations, mentioned he didn’t need to lose the pastoral panorama he selected to reside in. But he additionally mentioned, “I’m right here to take heed to either side.”
The council didn’t permit public remark Tuesday on the photo voltaic ordinance, as President Mark Root mentioned there can be time for that in future conferences.
What’s subsequent for the Hexagon undertaking?
Remer informed The Tribune that he quietly heard the frustrations from the farmers he leased. He mentioned they really feel as if the neighbors are interfering with their proper to earn revenue from their land.
And he disputed the impression that he was working undercover to ascertain the leases. He despatched letters to residents the place Hexagon needed entry however did not attain different neighbors, he mentioned, as a result of the method did not require it.
He additionally mentioned that Hexagon shouldn’t be a giant, “faceless company.” Based in Charlottesville, Va., it began with 4 staff and now has about 30, working primarily in Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Mississippi and Virginia. Remer himself raised a younger household.
The undertaking close to North Liberty will take time to materialize. Remer mentioned that Hexagon utilized to hook up {the electrical} grid with the group PJM, which coordinates the motion of electrical energy on a grid from New Jersey and Washington, DC, to North Carolina to the South Bend and Chicago.
At the tip of subsequent yr, he mentioned, Hexagon could hear the choice from PJM about its bid for entry to the grid is feasible.
If this continues, mentioned Remer, electrical energy will pour into the grid like water fed right into a water most important. So, a few of the energy can be utilized domestically or additional down the road.
County planning workers reported they studied 92 Indiana counties and located 53 set laws for large-scale or business photo voltaic operations. Of that, the workers report, 26% permit large-scale operations in agricultural districts with no public listening to course of, equivalent to St. Joseph County, and 59% would require a particular or conditional use allow, because the county is at the moment proposing.
When the county council handed the ordinance modifications in 2020, they reportedly claimed it might make it “among the finest locations within the nation to develop photo voltaic.”
South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits may be reached at 574-235-6158 or [email protected].
This article initially appeared within the South Bend Tribune: North Liberty photo voltaic farm sees opposition to county ordinance modifications
