November 8, 2010 | 5:15 PM | By

Advice needed: Solar power vs. state land-use law

FILED UNDER: Agriculture, Energy, Land use, Solar power

David Blaikie/Flickr

A new state advisory committee is taking a closer look at whether land-use laws should be tweaked to accommodate commercial solar farms.

Does Oregon need new rules for siting large-scale commercial solar projects on farmland?

Sustainable Business Oregon reports today on the newly formed Solar Rulemaking Advisory Committee, which is looking at that question as more solar companies run into red tape under land-use regulations designed to protect forest and agricultural resources.

Can you feel the standoff coming?

Right now, developers of solar farms have to apply for a special exception to state land-use rules to build on farmland. The rules limits development size to 12 acres on high-value agricultural turf and 20 acres on less fertile soil. And large solar farms typically require a bit more land if they want to make money selling their power to utilities.

Oregon’s largest approved solar farm is 60 acres, but a 7,000-acre project was just approved on public land in southern California.

Solar-power advocates say Oregon’s rulemaking process is outdated. It was designed decades before anybody knew what shape renewable energy development would take. But Michael Morrisey, a policy analyst for Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development says there is “no foregone conclusion about whether the rule should be changed.”

Like wind energy (and most big developments, let’s face it), solar power has the potential to divide local residents. Members of the new committee – including solar developers at Element Power and enXco, farmers, ranchers, state officials, Lake and Jefferson county representatives and environmental groups – seem attuned to the potential for conflict.

As Lake County Planning Director Ken Gerschler noted:

“There are a group of residents within the county that are kind of equally split,” he said. “Half of the residents are very much in support of the solar development across the county but the other half is very much opposed to the placement of the facilities. They’re very supportive of renewable energy, but they’re concerned about what that does to their ‘viewshed’ and to active agricultural operations.”

  • goldbeard

    We definitely need to look into a modern police that is appropriate specifically for solar power.

  • goldbeard

    We definitely need to look into a modern police that is appropriate specifically for solar power.

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