Pennsylvania, especially in the Southcentral and Northwest parts of the state, we're seeing a surge in interest for grid-scale solar developments (GSSD).

Every year, solar panels get both less expensive and more efficient, so the cost of building grid-scale solar (GSS) is much less than what it was even a few years ago. Solar energy is typically reliable and becoming more affordable.

Penn State researchers recently analyzed all the 2,500+ zoning ordinances in Pennsylvania and found that only about 5% specifically allow principal-use solar (the generation of solar energy for use off-site).

Eighty-seven percent of the municipal zoning ordinances in Pennsylvania include no guidance on solar energy generation, not even rooftop solar for individual homes.

Most municipalities in Pennsylvania don't have ordinance requirements for GSSD clearly laid out.

This can generate additional work, cost, and delay for municipalities facing this form of energy development from solar energy companies.

It's inefficient if municipal officials have to come up with new requirements on a case-by-case basis as GSS projects are proposed.

With many municipal officials serving only part-time, the expected investment in solar could quickly overwhelm the current capacity to address project review.

Instead, it can be wise to specify the requirements for GSSD in the zoning ordinance and let the developer identify the most efficient way to meet the requirement, given the constraints of the site, or abandon the location and move to a different site.

Having a clear ordinance saves money, time, and hassle for the township and the developer.

Most importantly, officials should be careful to keep the burden on the developer to prove they are not causing additional burdens for a municipality or county as they consider the solar company's new GSS proposal.

After construction, a solar array is typically quiet as a new land use, with minimal traffic. GSSD may increase property taxes for the property owner, but doesn't increase the local school population, use much water, or generate wastewater, as many other types of land development can do.

The article identifies the ways that GSSD affects a community and the landscape and suggests ways to address potential concerns.

The concerns include: traffic impact; noise; glare; viewshed; screening; fencing; setbacks; height requirements; lot/parcel size; lighting; fire and first responder safety.

The article also includes other helpful references with more in-depth information.

Click Here to read the entire article.

(Reprinted from the Penn State Extension Energy Essentials Newsletter. Click Here to sign up for your own copy (bottom of page).

Related Articles This Week:

-- PA Solar Center: Whitehall Borough, Allegheny County To Install Solar Energy Facility In Early 2025  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension: How Local Ordinances Can Address Concerns About Physical Impacts Of Grid-Scale Solar Development  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Renewables Can Help Stop Winter, Summer Power Outages, Avoid Energy Price Spikes - By Matt Walker, Clean Air Council and Julia Kortrey, Evergreen Action  [PaEN]

-- Rep. Martin Causer Returns As Republican Chair Of House Environmental Committee; Priority- Getting Government 'Out Of The Way' Of Energy Production  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- The Energy Age Blog: Dream Team: Rooftop Solar With Electric Vehicle - Crunching The Numbers From Sept. to November

-- PA Capital-Star: It’s Do Or Die Time For Philly Hydrogen Hub, Green Groups Are Rallying Against It

-- Inside Climate News: Clean Energy Industry Questions New PJM Proposal That Could Move Fossil Fuel Projects To Front Of Interconnection Queue

-- Utility Dive: PJM Expects Summer Peak Load To Grow 2% A Year On Average Driven By Data Centers

-- Utility Dive: FERC Rejects Plan To Shift PJM’s Electric Transmission Planning Protocol In Win For State Regulators

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Middlesex Twp., Cumberland County Could Become Home To Region’s First Large Scale, 700 Acre Data Storage Complex

-- Bloomberg: When A Giant Data Center Comes To A Small Town

[Posted: December 11, 2024]

12/16/2024