Tag: solar

If the U.S. continues to develop farmland at the same rate, the country will lose another 18 million acres of farmland by 2040, according to a new report from the American Farmland Trust. Land-use planning and policies that support “smart growth" could reduce that number.

In Pennsylvania, where siting for solar is done at the local level, it’s left to each community to decide whether to allow in these developments. It's pitting some neighbors against each other.

The Ohio Power Siting Board will hold a hearing regarding Wild Grains Solar, LLC's proposal to construct a solar powered electric generation facility in Van Wert County.

The Ohio Power Siting Board has scheduled or rescheduled several local hearings for proposed solar energy projects. 

Now that the U.S. has weaned itself off of its reliance on liquid fuel from across the ocean, it’s battling a dependency of another kind as the transition from fossil fuels to renewables continues.

It’s not easy for rural residents who already buy into all the benefits renewables, electric vehicles and energy efficiency have to offer. For those who are less willing, or less able, it could be impossible, at least without help.

U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, of Pennsylvania, announced the Solar Supply Chain Act to invest $700 million annually over the next four years to expand domestic solar component manufacturing. The next day, U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan, of Ohio, and Dan Kildee, of Michigan, introduced the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act to provide tax credits for American solar component manufacturers. 

The Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation program recommends prime farmland soil remain available for agricultural production and that solar development instead take place on rooftops, impervious surfaces or on less productive soils. The problem is there is no mechanism at the state level to control siting of utility-scale solar projects.

The Energy Jobs & Justice Act would require retail electric providers to submit carbon reduction plans to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio detailing how they will reach a 50% in carbon emissions by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2050.

The newly approved facilities will cover a combined 2,300 acres of land in Defiance, Erie and Hardin counties. The Ohio Power Siting Board approved a dozen utility-scale solar projects so far this year. These projects, if they are all built, will sit on about 13,500 acres of land and produce 2,200 MW of electricity.