The public in Gratiot County will soon have the chance to give their thoughts on a proposed ordinance to regulate solar panel installation in the county.
A public hearing to provide comments on a draft ordinance to amend the county’s zoning ordinance to include solar panel installation is set during the commission meeting at 5 p.m. on April 11 in the commissioners’ room in the county building at 214 E. Center Street in Ithaca.
“The main reason would be to bring a renewable resource into our county,” said Karla Childers about why the ordinance was introduced.
After the public hearing, the planning commission could vote at that same meeting on the ordinance.
If it is approved, it would then be sent to the county commission for approval.
In December, the planning commission formed a sub-committee consisting of Childers, board member Caroline Ross and commission chair Marc Raycraft.
Solar panel installation around or near the county landfill - a project the county has been pursuing in recent months - could offset some of the costs on the money the county spends on maintaining it, Childers said.
A market from interested parties such as businesses for installing solar panel technology exists in the county and beyond, she said. “I think we’re a prime location and I think there’s a lot of solar energy companies that would be interested,” Childers said.
The draft amends the county’s zoning ordinance to include regulations on installation of solar energy systems and solar farms in the townships of Elba, Hamilton, Lafayette, Newark, Northstar and Sumner townships.
It is hoped the independently-zoned townships - Fulton and Pine River townships, for example - would create a similar ordinance by using the county’s as a model, Childers said.
“We want to get this established for future generations,” she said. “Solar’s up-and-coming and we want to make sure the ordinance’s in place so if these companies come to us and see Gratiot County as a location, we want to be able to give them the go-ahead.”
A committee was formed at the planning commission’s December meeting with Childers, chair Marc Raycraft and Caroline Ross, Childers said.
They worked with Kasey Zehner at Greater Gratiot Development to develop the ordinance.
The draft ordinance has several requirements.
The county will regulate the siting, design and installation of the solar systems and farms.
A solar energy system is defined in the ordinance as a single residential or small business-scale solar energy conversion system consisting of building-mounted panels, ground-mounted solar arrays, or other solar energy fixtures, and associated control or conversion electronics that will be used to produce utility power primarily for on-site use.
Only one solar energy system is allowed per premises, and it must be located at least 20 feet away from all property lines.
A solar farm is defined in the ordinance as a utility-scaled commercial facility that converts sunlight into electricity, whether by photovoltaics, concentrating solar thermal devices or any other various experimental solar technologies for the primary purpose of wholesale or retail sales of generated electricity off-site.
Solar farms are permitted under special land uses in agricultural, rural preservation and residential and industrial districts.
Any mechanical equipment related to any installation must be screened off by fencing or landscaping.
A site plan that is drawn to scale must show all existing and proposed structures, driveways, adjacent structures within 100 feet and any other information that the zoning administrator, building inspector or planning commission that is necessary to determine compliance with this ordinance.
Any ground-mounted solar panels must be installed on parcels that are less than one acre in size, and be located in the side or back of a yard.
The ground area occupied by solar panels and associated paved surfaces is 20 percent of a lot’s size.
More information about the draft ordinance can be found on the county’s website.