Why some Ohio counties are restricting solar energy farms
LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) — Another central Ohio county has joined over a quarter of the 88 in the state to approve regulations that limit solar farms. Fairfield County Commissioners recently ap… Fairfield County Commissioners have approved a resolution to limit solar exclusionary zones in their county, joining over a quarter of the 88 in the state. The resolution prohibits large solar facilities greater than 50 megawatts from entering these zones. The state law passed in 2021 gave counties the power to create these zones, and Fairfield County Commissioner Jeff Fix voted in favor, while Commissioner Steve Davis abstained due to his position representing the county on a state power board. The response to solar energy farms has varied, with one of the largest farms approved in Madison County despite community resistance. At least 26 counties in central Ohio have passed resolutions similar to Fairfield's, including Crawford, Fayette, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, and Union. Critics argue that the law has deterred future solar projects in Fairfield and has led to a missed opportunity for property owners.
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LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) — Another central Ohio county has joined over a quarter of the 88 in the state to approve regulations that limit solar farms.
Fairfield County Commissioners recently approved a resolution enacting solar exclusionary zones. Commission President Dave Levacy and Commissioner Jeff Fix voted in favor, and Commissioner Steve Davis abstained because of his position representing the county on a state power board.
Under the resolution, large solar facilities — those greater than 50 megawatts — are prohibited inside solar exclusionary zones. A state law passed in 2021 gave counties the ability to create such zones.
“[State law] puts that responsibility on the counties and gave us the opportunity to decide where we would want to exclude industrial solar in Fairfield County,” Fix said.
The response to solar energy farms has varied around the state. In March, one of the largest farms in the country was approved in Madison County despite community resistance. But at least 26 counties have passed resolutions similar to Fairfield County. In central Ohio, those include Crawford, Fayette, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, and Union counties.
In Knox County, an 840-acre solar farm is under consideration, with over 3,000 people filing public comments. A common theme among residents in multiple counties is that this isn’t about being opposed to solar power, it’s about the potential impact on farmland.
Tony Long, energy policy director for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, said he thinks the state law might have marked the beginning of the end for solar energy in the state.
“[It] has kind of chased away investment in this state, to some extent,” Long said.
Although Fix said he supports solar energy, he voted for the Fairfield County resolution after years of work on plans for land use, economic development and growth. It revealed to him how much the county is set to change over the next 20-40 years.
He said there needs to be a balance between the rights of a property owner and those of their neighbors. The resolution would bar landowners from selling their property for industrial solar development, which Fix didn’t take for granted.
“It’s a challenging situation. We’ve had conversations with landowners that have leased property to those solar companies saying, ‘Look, I have the right to do this.’ And they do,” Fix said. “It’s tough to find the balance.”
On the other hand, Fix emphasized protecting the rights of neighbors to potential solar development. He said the majority of community input he received was in favor of the resolution.
Long, who lives in Fairfield County, said he respects the commissioners’ balancing act.
“The commissioners are trying to attempt to balance what folks in townships are telling them, what farmers are asking, and the economic development needs as a whole,” Long said. “It’s not an easy job.”
In Fairfield County, two solar projects are in the works, but their fates are now unclear. The Eastern Cottontail Solar Project in Walnut Township has been in planning stages since before state law was changed, and a solar farm in Amanda Township has been proposed.
Mryia Williams, Ohio Program Associate for Solar United Neighbors, said these proposals show how the law poses a threat to property owners.
“What we dislike seeing about solar exclusionary zones is that it’s taking the rights away,” Williams said. “In this case, there are several farmers who made the decision for their property and for themselves, that they wished for their land to be used this way.”
The Ohio Power Siting Board, of which Davis is a member, will decide whether the projects can move forward with grandfather clauses. Long said he expects the Walnut Township project will move forward.
But Williams said the lack of future solar projects coming to Fairfield County is a missed opportunity.
“Now, instead of Fairfield County benefiting from the solar farm and the tax revenues that it would generate, that farm is just going to go somewhere else,” Williams said.
주제: Green Energy, ESG, Environment-ESG