Sumter County officials are still moving forward with laying groundwork for what is permitted on county land in terms of solar development, and Sumter may become one of the leading counties in the state in terms of solar regulation.
Often, government officials will use an ordinance written by a different but similar municipality as a model for creating their own draft. For this draft, planning director Helen Roodman said the nearest municipality with a model solar ordinance is in North Carolina.
This means that Sumter County could be leading the way in terms of South Carolina solar development standards.
"We're just now seeing solar power in the state of South Carolina move into the next tier of counties that are much more populated," Roodman said during the Nov. 14 county council meeting. "I suspect that you are going to see other communities look at solar regulations."
County council passed unanimously on first reading a request to amend zoning and development standards to now include language pertaining to solar electric power generation.
As of now, there are no firm plans for where any future solar panels would be installed or what company name they would be under.
There are currently two solar facilities in Sumter County, one of which is owned and operated by Black River Electric Cooperative.
"Communities throughout the state of South Carolina are currently experiencing increased interest from the solar power generation industry concerning the construction of large-scale ground-mounted solar energy systems," according to a memorandum from Roodman to the land use committee. "In many cases the land utilization encompasses greater than 100 acres in the more rural parts of communities where there are large expanses of undeveloped land."
Again, there are no firm plans for any specific future solar power facilities in the county, so as of now, all that county officials are doing is refining language surrounding what's allowed in the county in terms of solar facilities.
There are three areas of concern county officials have laid out related to solar development in the county:
Future solar projects must not adversely impact community character.
There must be adequate notice for property owners near the site to voice concerns about a future solar project.
A decommissioning plan is required for if or when the solar facility is no longer in use.
These three stipulations for solar developers are not set in stone and are not comprehensive but are just part of the groundwork for what county council will ultimately require for any solar developers interested in Sumter County.
The Associated Press reported earlier this year that the first generation of solar panels is dead and dying, so solar panel recycling is a growing industry.
It's expensive to get solar panels, and it's expensive to get rid of them, too, according to Isabella O'Malley's AP story.
"It is not realistic to assume local government has the financial capacity to take care of equipment removal and land restoration that should be the responsibility of the developer," read Roodman's memorandum.
This item will show up on the next two county council agendas, and if it is passed on third reading, it will become official.
Comments