With surge in solar farm proposals, Bluegrass group recommends ideas, actions
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ/Press Release) – As the number of potential solar farm requests increases across the region, Bluegrass Tomorrow has issued a resource paper on the siting of large utility scale solar farms, intended to help communities, elected officials, economic development organizations, and planning commissions to make wise decisions on where large utility scale solar facilities could be located.
The group also has recommended regional planning bodies take steps to plan regionally to address the increase while protecting communities and valuable farmland.
The paper was issued by Bluegrass Tomorrow with input from its 55-member Board of Directors and partners in the Regional Land Use Partnership Council (Bluegrass Area Development District, Fayette Alliance, Woodford Forward, Bluegrass Land Conservancy, and Farm Bureau) and the committee has also gathered examples of sample ordinances, wording in Comprehensive Plans, and resources for planning directors, planning commissions, and regional governments to make effective, transparent solar siting decisions.
Several of the Bluegrass counties are currently considering plans for siting large solar facilities that will collectively consume thousands of acres of Bluegrass farmland.
At stake is some of the most productive agricultural land that lies in the Commonwealth’s Bluegrass physiographic region.
The most productive agricultural soils of the Inner Bluegrass are found from Clark to Franklin counties (east to west) and from Harrison to Mercer counties (northeast to southwest).
The land that encompasses Woodford, Jessamine, Fayette, and Bourbon counties are almost entirely classified as “best soils.”
Bluegrass Tomorrow has a long-standing policy that it will never insert itself into the decision making of local Planning Commissions or local governments.
The Bluegrass Tomorrow Board of Directors includes business leaders, educators, farmers, equine and sustainability members, utility representatives and more, representing our 18-county footprint.
Bluegrass Tomorrow also promotes conservation, preservation and sustainability through the work of its Bluegrass Forever Green Division.
In a statement, the group said, “We believe that renewable, clean solar energy is an important element of the current and future energy grid and is vital in addressing global warming and a resilient, more sustainable environment for the next generation. As such, Bluegrass Tomorrow supports solar energy as a part of our total energy portfolio, now and into the future. “
At Bluegrass Tomorrow’s Conversation with the Region on Energy Innovations two years ago, one of the first solar farms in the state developed by the East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) off I-64 in Clark County was discussed and highly lauded as an example of the types of energy innovations needed in the region.
EKPC has set a goal of generating 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2035. However, all agreed that solar is only one part of a complicated energy grid in the Bluegrass that also includes coal, natural gas and fossil fuels which keep energy costs lower and ensures the 24/7/365 reliability of energy in Kentucky, critical to economic development.
Solar is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world due to the decreasing cost per kilowatt hour, promotional government policies, growing consumer demand for renewable energy — especially in the business sector — and the solar industry’s comparative speed in constructing facilities.
Recently, University of Oxford researchers estimated solar could increase to 20 percent of global electricity by 2027.
Federal and state tax incentives have accelerated the energy industry’s efforts to bring facilities online as quickly as possible.
While solar energy aligns with national, state, and local sustainability goals, including Bluegrass Tomorrow, solar industries must bring an overall value to the locality beyond the clean energy label and the temporary jobs created during construction of the facilities
“Our Bluegrass governments must consider other uses of sustainability and economic development for the land and make deliberate, transparent decisions regarding impacts and benefits to the social fabric, natural environment, scenic viewsheds, the local economy, agricultural production, and local government,” the group said in its statement.
Some Planning Commissions have already created language in their Comprehensive Plans and/or ordinances and subdivision regulations to regulate large solar developments, which would require a text amendment to change; but in many other cases, there are no ordinances nor regulations, nor Comprehensive Plan language to address these new solar land use issues.
There are two tools available: the existing Comprehensive Plan itself and the zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations which codify the implementation of the Plan.
Bluegrass Tomorrow recommends the region’s city and county Planning Directors and Commissions must take the reins to see that these documents are amended to bring some structure, consistency, and transparency to the evaluation process for utility-scale solar facilities.
Unlike many other land uses, large solar installations will occupy vast tracts of land for one or more generations. This is not a decision to be taken lightly and requires the utmost due diligence.
Bluegrass Tomorrow further recommends communities consider the following when making decisions about solar siting and solar farms on Bluegrass farmland:
- Prioritize solar development, taking all available state and local guidance into consideration, on such siting as brownfields, rooftops, land zoned for industrial use, empty big box developments. It is understood that some of these sitings could be more expensive for the solar developer. The question becomes–how much revenue the potential solar development can create, compared to revenue for the landowner and/or government while also considering keeping the land as an agriculture use and associated revenue generated. Consider methods to provide incentives to develop these non-agriculture zoned sites.
- Preserve the abilities of individual home and business owners to implement solar energy production for their own use on their own property.
- Avoid siting large utility-scale solar development on productive farmland in any location or in such a way that it displaces agriculture from the land, if feasible, and understanding that every county and community is different, and solar is one key to our sustainable energy future.
- In ordinances and comprehensive planning, primary farmland and most productive agricultural land should be defined and prioritized. Size limitations for large utility scale solar developments should be considered and should require project design to minimize other land use impacts such as access roads, excessive concrete pads, run-off considerations et. al.
- If farm entities and local governments have invited solar development proposals, consider incentivizing dual-use to support continued agricultural activity and farming. Dual use, also known as agrivoltaics, is the practice of co-locating solar panels on farmland in such a manner that primary agriculture activities including animal grazing, and crop production can continue simultaneously on that farmland. In this case, please consider the natural beauty and idyllic scenic viewsheds of our region.
- Work with communities outside of our regional footprint to encourage siting of alternative energy facilities. For example, our Eastern counties’ coalfields may present opportunities for solar installations, if feasible. It is understood that some of these sitings could also be more expensive for the solar developer.
Through our Bluegrass Tomorrow Regional Land Use Partnership Council, we have learned that within our region there are many disagreements about the uses of the ordinance or the comprehensive planning process to regulate rapidly evolving solar development.
Ordinances may be the most effective and time efficient tool to address this. But if a city or county is currently in review of the Comprehensive Plan (reviewed every five years), this could be the best avenue. In either case, wording on solar siting and complete definitions needs to be added to ordinances and all our region’s city, county, and combined Comprehensive Plans in the future.
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