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After months of discussion, the Logan Township Planning Commission this week settled on a draft ordinance to recommend to the supervisors that would make it easier for property owners to install solar arrays capable of generating enough electricity to meet modern needs.
Among provisions the commissioners came to consensus on at the meeting:
-- Principal arrays -- constructed so property owners can sell the electricity to the grid -- will need to be on at least 10 acres and would be permitted only in industrial zones -- not agricultural zones, so that farmers wouldn't be able to turn ag land into a de facto power plant. This reflects the desire of Commissioner Rick Meintel to preserve ag land, in keeping with a state ag preservation program.
"I initially thought, 'Why not?'" about letting ag land be used for solar farms, said Commissioner Jesse Moyer, who eventually came around to Meintel's way of thinking. Farmers who would want to install a principal array despite the ordinance could still petition the Zoning Hearing Board for a variance, although success would be unlikely, said Planning Director Cassandra Schmick. "We need to keep green spaces green," said Chairman Joe Pufka. Farmers would still be able to build solar arrays as an "accessory," to provide electricity for their homes and ag operations.
-- If property owners negotiate easements guaranteeing that neighbors won't plant vegetation or construct buildings that block sunlight from solar arrays, then property turnover occurs, the easements would still continue, based on their being recorded at the Blair County Courthouse.
-- Developers' agreements that are part of the process of getting permission to construct solar arrays would hold the township "harmless" if the power company for some reason doesn't agree to let owners hook up to the power grid. It would be up to the property owners to ensure beforehand that their project is acceptable to the power company, officials said.
-- Arrays would be considered "abandoned" after not being used to generate electricity for 12 consecutive months, after which owners would have six months to dismantle them.
"A lot of time and a lot of thought went into this," Pufka said. "I think it's a really good plan."
Schmick did "an excellent job" moderating the discussion, Meintel said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.