By Andi Anderson
The Columbus City Council is considering new regulations around solar farms. The proposed regulations outline requirements for three types of solar systems: on-site use systems, neighborhood-scale systems, and commercial solar energy systems (CSES).
CSES are defined as systems that capture and convert solar energy into electricity for the primary purpose of wholesale sales of generated electricity and for use in locations other than where it is generated. This includes facilities from which solar energy is made available to individual off-site residential, commercial, industrial, or other end users through a subscription or sponsorship system.
The city plan commission's proposed regulations for CSES generally mirror the ordinance for Bartholomew County. However, while the county regulations state that solar fields must be at least a half-mile away from municipal boundary lines, the proposed city rules state that solar fields cannot be located in areas that lie within the city's planning jurisdiction but are outside of city limits.
Under the city's proposal, exceptions to the setback standards for commercial solar are allowed with a waiver from the affected entities. For proposed development that falls within Columbus's two-mile jurisdiction, the developer would need a waiver from city council.
CSES would be a conditional use in the Agriculture: General Rural zoning district. These facilities are already a conditional use in the Agriculture: Preferred district. CSES would continue to be prohibited in all other zoning districts.
In addition to the changes around solar energy, other proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance touch on topics such as manufactured housing, accessory dwellings, and electrical vehicle charging stations.
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Categories: Illinois, Energy