Article
Wayne County prepares solar park ordinance to govern inevitable requests
Richmond Palladium-Item|Mike Emery|October 3, 2022
The ordinance covers everything from solar park permit applications and site plans to decommissioning and restoration solar park sites. It considers a park's setbacks, access roads, signage, lighting, drainage, vegetation, visual barriers and fencing, as well as the solar panels' height, color, finish, glare and noise. ...For instance, members opted to require solar panels be at least 250 feet from the closest point of any dwelling. "We want to make sure there's enough setback so there are no problems for residents by a solar park," Paust said. "We're protecting home owners so they don't have solar panels right out their back doors."
The ordinance covers everything from solar park permit applications and site plans to decommissioning and restoration solar park sites. It considers a park's setbacks, access roads, signage, lighting, drainage, vegetation, visual barriers and fencing, as well as the solar panels' height, color, finish, glare and noise. ...For instance, members opted to require solar panels be at least 250 feet from the closest point of any dwelling. "We want to make sure there's enough setback so there are no problems for residents by a solar park," Paust said. "We're protecting home owners so they don't have solar panels right out their back doors."
RICHMOND, Ind. — Wayne County is preparing for the inevitable.
That's how Commissioner Ken Paust sees the Wayne County Advisory Plan Commission developing an ordinance governing utility scale solar parks. Solar power continues growing, and it promises accelerated growth as the federal government incentivizes renewable energy.
"We'll have in place an ordinance that covers what we expect from solar companies that come here and want to put in solar parks," Paust said after the plan commission's discussion last week. "If somebody does look at Wayne County, we'd rather be prepared."
Paust's goal is to have plan commission forward an ordinance to the county commissioners for adoption still this year. The plan commission will again …
RICHMOND, Ind. — Wayne County is preparing for the inevitable.
That's how Commissioner Ken Paust sees the Wayne County Advisory Plan Commission developing an ordinance governing utility scale solar parks. Solar power continues growing, and it promises accelerated growth as the federal government incentivizes renewable energy.
"We'll have in place an ordinance that covers what we expect from solar companies that come here and want to put in solar parks," Paust said after the plan commission's discussion last week. "If somebody does look at Wayne County, we'd rather be prepared."
Paust's goal is to have plan commission forward an ordinance to the county commissioners for adoption still this year. The plan commission will again discuss the ordinance during a 6 p.m. Oct. 14 special meeting. It will also schedule a public hearing.
Last week's discussion used Randolph County's 43-page solar ordinance and the state standards from Senate Enrolled Act 411 for guidance. The plan commission went through Randolph County's ordinance, discussing different points and making adjustments as it saw fit.
The ordinance covers everything from solar park permit applications and site plans to decommissioning and restoration solar park sites. It considers a park's setbacks, access roads, signage, lighting, drainage, vegetation, visual barriers and fencing, as well as the solar panels' height, color, finish, glare and noise.
Plan commission members are balancing property owners' rights with the impacts on neighboring property owners. For instance, members opted to require solar panels be at least 250 feet from the closest point of any dwelling.
"We want to make sure there's enough setback so there are no problems for residents by a solar park," Paust said. "We're protecting home owners so they don't have solar panels right out their back doors."
On the other side, the commission has not considered limiting the size of solar parks.
"We look at the property owners and what the property owner wants to do," Paust said. "Property rights are very important here in Wayne County."
Commission members preferred grass under the solar panels rather than stone that won't drain as well. They also agreed to a 25-foot maximum height when the panels are at their maximum tilt.
Any solar park's drainage plan would require county drainage board approval for its design and again after it's built. Language also will be included to account for restitution if any damage is caused to county roadways during solar park construction.
Plan commission members authorized 7-0 that discussed changes be made to Randolph County's ordinance as well as adapting Randolph County references to Wayne County before the Oct. 14 special meeting. They then will again review their work.
The ordinance discussion comes as Wayne County government considers its first solar park request from the Indiana Municipal Power Agency. The group has developed or is currently developing seven Richmond solar parks and one Centerville solar park. It's newest project, the ninth overall, is for 4752 Gates Road, a Centerville address that's part of Richmond Power & Light's service area but under the county's jurisdiction inside Richmond's two-mile fringe.
A list of 21 commitments that align with the ordinance discussion has been prepared for IMPA's agreement before the Board of Zoning Appeals approves a variance of use for the proposed 27.73-acre park. IMPA, the wholesale power supplier for 61 member municipal electric utilities, already owns the 139.95 acres currently zoned residential. It's asking for general industrial zoning.
The land west of North Round Barn Road is not far from IMPA's seventh Richmond project on South Round Barn Road south of the Eagle Trace subdivision. IMPA's five on-line Richmond solar parks produce 31.4 megawatts that can power about 5,000 homes. Centerville's 1 megawatt solar park powers about 170 homes.
Richmond's sixth park, located on Wernle Road, is scheduled to begin operation in April 2023 with 5.33 megawatts, and the South Round Barn Road park is expected begin operation during 2023's third quarter with 4.35 megawatts.
IMPA currently has solar parks statewide producing 161.9 megawatts, with parks producing another 34.2 megawatts in the pipeline. It has a goal of having 46% of its energy production be no-carbon by 2026.