By John Estridge
With snow up to hips and cold weather to the wrong side of zero, it is hard to think about the sun, but solar energy was one of the topics of conversation at the Union County Commissioners’ meeting Friday, February 19.
Preble County, Ohio, to the east, has a solar power project ongoing and Franklin County, to the south, has one on the horizon.
Union County Commissioner Paul Wiwi talked about opposition to transmission lines from the Preble County project that is about three to four miles north of College Corner, Ohio. A transmission line is projected to go through part of Union County.
Wiwi said it is his understanding the transmission line would go across State Line Road and hook into a substation off Greenwood Church Road. According to Wiwi, the local group against this plan is going to come to a future commissioner meeting and present a petition against the transmission line.
However, county officials said the transmission line will probably fall under the utilities classification, meaning there is nothing local government can do in regulating a utility.
“There is nothing we can do if they want to run a line,” commissioner Tim Williams said.
Wiwi said the group members seem to understand that, but they want to come to a commissioners’ meeting anyway to put it on the record concerning their opposition. According to Wiwi, he told the group only a couple of people can represent the group because of the need for social distancing in the commissioners’ small meeting room.
Commissioner Howard Curry said there is also a concern the solar project construction will interfere with field tiles that run across the state line. A break in the tiles could cause problems for agriculture on both sides of the state line.
According to Curry, it is his belief county attorney Jim Williams has already written a letter to the company overseeing the solar energy project telling the company if there is damage to field tiles, the company is responsible for rectifying that problem.
Officials also talked a short time about the situation in Bath Township in Franklin County where a company has talked with various farmers in that area about leasing property for a projected solar farm. In Franklin County, the Area Plan Commission and Franklin County Commissioners are working on an amendment to the county zoning ordinance to regulate solar and wind farms. The amendment is in the public hearing stage. However, a public hearing slated for February was postponed due to inclement weather.
Union County APC Director Jeff Mathews said wind energy is not a concern in Union County, because there is just a small east west section up near the Wayne County line that meets the criteria needed for a successful wind energy project.
Currently, if a solar energy project would be interested in coming into Union County, it would go before the Board of Zoning Appeals, Mathews said. He said it would go under the Special Use category of the county zoning ordinance. He said if the county would like to have an amendment to the zoning ordinance that is just for solar power, he will do the research and present something to the APC. From there, it would go to the commissioners.
Mathews said he received an email from a solar energy company interested in coming into Union County. And he said it is his opinion a solar energy project would not be welcome in the county. According to Mathews, the county is a farming community. And the solar energy company that contacts landowners is usually not the solar energy company who will finish the project.
Curry said the companies contacting landowners are headhunters. And Wiwi said there is no farmland being manufactured. What farmland is presently here, will not be increased.
Williams said there is a bill before the Indiana House, HB 1381, which would take all local control away from the approval process of solar energy projects and leave it solely up to the state. He is against the proposed law and suggested Representative Randy Lyness be contacted by county residents so the people to state their own opinions on the matter.
About the Preble County Project.
According to the Angelina Solar Project website, Angelina Solar I, LLC submitted an application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need to the Ohio Power Siting Board in December 2018. At a capacity of 80 Megawatts, the project will be constructed and operate within an approximately 827-acre area of privately owned land approximately four miles north of College Corner, Ohio.
According to the Ohio Power Siting Board, Angelina Solar I, LLC is owned by Blue Planet Renewable Energy, LLC, which is a joint venture partnership between MAP Energy, Inc. and Open Road Renewables, LLC.
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