Model solar ordinances help guide local governments in making decisions about renewable energy development in their communities. Ordinances can also help preserve the character of a community, protect and enhance community assets, guide land use decisions, and protect property and property values. Basically, model ordinances aren’t a one size fits all solution. They provide local jurisdictions with a toolkit of regulations that can be tailored to guide future development depending on the specific needs of the area; be those rural, suburban, or urban in nature.
Solar power is the fastest-growing energy source in the state and the nation. As a relatively new industry there is a need for guidance that protects the interests of Louisiana’s communities and mitigates the potential issues that solar installations pose.
The Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have partnered to develop a Model Solar Toolkit with input from a committee of representatives from local government, energy, agriculture, housing, land-owners associations, environmental, economic development and equity groups. Based on the specific needs of Louisiana communities, the toolkit will be a free, online resource for policy language on residential, community, and utility-scale solar installations. Once the model ordinance is written, CPEX will help two local governments use the toolkit in their jurisdictions.
There is tremendous opportunity for Louisiana in renewable energy. Investments in solar will put Louisiana on the path to building a strong clean energy economy. It will save families and businesses money, create middle-class jobs, and reduce pollution. Solar is also a critical strategy for reaching our climate mitigation and adaptation goals.
Solar panels work by capturing particles of light (or photons). These photons break electrons free from their atoms, knocking them apart, and generate what we know of as the flow of electricity. In other words, sunlight is converted to energy through a seemingly complex, but actually surprisingly simple process which involves capturing the sun’s energy and turning into electricity. Once the energy is generated, it is used to power devices, products, and homes and can even be stored for future use.
The world is facing a dual challenge – it needs more energy, but we also need to lower our carbon emissions because of impacts to the environment. To make this happen the energy system needs to make a transition to a larger mix of cleaner sources.
Solar is a passive form of technology, generating emissions-free electricity. This – combined with its ability to bring our country’s energy costs down – makes it an ideal energy source for Louisiana. It is scalable, flexible, quick to deploy and minimally intrusive.
A solar farm is so much more than you think. It’s a jobs farm. It’s a biodiversity farm. It’s an educational farm for local schools. It’s a new year-round type of harvest for your neighbor farmers that helps them keep their land for future generations.
Louisiana currently has the capability, materials and workforce to convert its entire energy sector to one that uses solar and wind. For every state except Louisiana, double-digit employment growth is expected in the renewables sector over the next 30 years. Louisiana is the only state in the nation with a forecast of net job losses. This is an opportunity to attract well-paying jobs in the nation’s fastest growing energy sector to Louisiana.
Solar farms can help strengthen rural economies by:
Creating local jobs during construction, hiring local subcontractors and recruiting from the local labor pool;
Contributing significant annual revenue for local governments, benefitting local schools, street maintenance, fire stations, parks and other community public services;
Providing dependable revenue to landowners in order to supplement farm income;
Bringing multimillion dollar annual operations budgets that are primarily spent in the region.
Solar farms provide clean, local energy which reduces energy costs and enhances air quality by helping to mitigate the health effects of harmful air pollutants.
Solar farms will provide educational opportunities for local schools and universities, through research opportunities and site tours.
Solar farms can be designed to enhance habitats and boost biodiversity.
Solar farms can be designed to accommodate grazing or vegetation under and around the rows of panels, maintaining agricultural use of the land.
Solar panels are bad for the environment and solar panels will poison the water.
FALSE: Solar panels are not bad for the environment. Solar panels will not leak and they will not do damage to you or your home. They will also not emit any radiation harmful to humans or the environment.There are no air or chemical emissions from the solar farm. The power will leave the solar project on lines just like the power lines in your neighborhood.
Incentives and tax rebates are available for solar installations.
TRUE: Along with state and federal tax credits, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources offers low-interest home improvement loans to homeowners who go solar.
Not only can residential scale solar panels lower your electric bill, you can earn money by selling excess power back to the energy grid.
TRUE: Net metering is one of the most important regulatory policies for residential solar owners in Louisiana (and many other states across the country) because it allows you to sell any excess solar energy you may have back to the grid. While you are out and about during the day and not using much electricity at your house, your solar panels can be hard at work saving you money.
Solar companies will easily outbid farmers and make it hard to lease land for agricultural uses.
FALSE: Of Louisiana’s over 7 million acres of agricultural land, only a miniscule amount is projected to be used for solar installations. Solar farms are typically placed on non-productive land and can be designed to enhance native habitats making the land more productive after the panels are removed. In fact, co-locating solar and crop production can make both uses more efficient.
Solar farms are large and unsightly and ruin our beautiful landscapes.
FALSE: Solar ordinances give us the opportunity to make sure that natural buffers of trees and native plantings will be put in around solar farms so that they are hidden from view.
Solar farms bring in local tax revenue.
TRUE: Besides the clean energy and electric bill savings, solar farms can be beneficial to the community because solar developers pay taxes that allow community schools, roads, hospitals, etc. to be built and maintained.
At the end of the project, solar panels will not be removed or they will end up in landfills.
FALSE: At the end of the project, the installation will be dismantled, completely removed and recycled. Your farmer neighbors will be able to return to row crop agriculture or pursue the type of agricultural practice that best suits their farm needs at the time. Solar projects must pass rigorous testing to prove they are non-hazardous under federal law and could be disposed of in regular landfills just like household garbage. Most solar companies are committed to recycling all solar panels for solar projects in the U.S. – that includes any panels damaged during construction, operations, and all panels at the end of life/decommissioning.
Solar developments will “erase the character” of farming communities.
FALSE: Solar farms can help strengthen rural economies by creating local jobs, contributing significant property tax revenue, and providing dependable revenue to landowners in order to supplement farm income. Solar farms can be designed to accommodate grazing around the rows of panels, maintaining an agricultural use of the land. Solar farms can support wildlife and boost local habitats.
Solar doesn’t work in certain climates.
FALSE: Solar panels will work in any temperature and any climate. Solar panels work on cloudy days, as well as in the winter. In fact, solar panels work better in cooler temperatures than in hotter temperatures. As long as the panels can capture some sunlight, they’ll be generating power.
Solar panels present added danger during hurricanes.
FALSE: Solar installations are legally required to withstand hurricane wind risk levels.
Solar panels are loud.
FALSE: They make zero noise while they’re producing solar energy and transfer it quietly.
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Speaker Series
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SOLAR ROAD SHOW
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