MUNCIE − Proponents of utility-scale solar fields in Delaware County told county commissioners Monday that they fear setbacks included in the proposed solar ordinance will squelch plans developers have to build projects locally.
One part of the proposed ordinance will be discussed by the Delaware County-Muncie Plan Commission, which will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 13 in the county commissioner's courtroom at the county building downtown. The meeting is restricted to a discussion of the amount of farmland in the county that could be dedicated to solar fields.
As the ordinance stands and was approved by the plan commission, up to 20 percent of farmland in the county, about 34,000 acres, could be used to create solar fields. County commissioners decided at a meeting last month that the number of agricultural acres open to solar development should be reduced to 5,000. The Plan Commission will meet to make a reccommendation on that point.
A committee was appointed in early 2022 to help draft a new solar ordinance. In November the Plan Commission rejected a number of reccomendations from the committee that would have made solar field development in the county more difficult. However, a setback of of solar panels of 500 feet from the property line of nonparticipating residents was adopted.
State Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, said the setback as exists would create too much that be vacant and not useable for either farming or solar panel installation. She said the General Assembly had recomended about half that amount.