Plans for large solar farms in North Liberty are drawing opposition and possibly tightening county regulations

Some North Liberty-area residents are expressing opposition to the project, which would build solar farms on 2,300 to 2,500 acres of farmland, pitting some environmental views against others.

Hexagon Energy’s Scott Remer sees it as a way to rest depleted farmlands and replenish them with native and pollinator-friendly plants while long rows of solar panels quietly do their work under 35- to 40-year leases the company has secured from property owners.

The 300-megawatt array of panels – enough to power 50,000 homes – would power the nearby Dumont electrical substation. Since it is one of the most powerful substations in the U.S., Remer, the senior director of development, said this creates an affordable option for Hexagon to simply “plug and play.”

However, opponents see the term “photovoltaic farm” as a misnomer. They see the loss of food-producing land – often corn and soy – which would be replaced by industrial products made of glass and metal.

They claim it would disrupt the rural landscape that attracted them to live there, and there are a number of claims it could disturb wildlife.

Among them, Amanda Mitchell of Riley Road started a website and an initiative called Rethink Industrial Solar in St. County. Joseph after Hexagon recently requested that a transmission line be run through her property. Her surprise and negative reaction came after Hexagon had already spent several years contacting specific locations where it wanted to install solar panels and entering into lease agreements.

Initially, neighbors cited that the company was planning solar fields immediately south of Potato Creek State Park, along Indiana 4. However, a more recent Hexagon map shows nothing along Indiana 4. All of the scattered parcels leased by Hexagon are south of there.

The proposed changes go to the district’s Zoning Commission on June 18 at 3:30 p.m. for a public hearing, after which the commissions vote on a recommendation. Ultimately, the resolution will be voted on by the district council on July 9.

The complaints prompted St. County officials. Joseph to propose changes to tighten zoning ordinances, which were relaxed in 2020, to actually encourage such large-scale solar on agricultural land.

What is hidden in the proposed changes?

County Council member Amy Drake, who is pushing the bill, recognizes residents’ concerns. She said current regulations are so lax that “solar energy can get out of control.” She said neighbors are right to be nervous about the “unknown” about what effect large-scale solar operations might have on farmland.

“I – and other council members – are pushing for a dedicated solar requirement,” Drake said, “so that we have the opportunity to vote and consider every solar farm that is installed on agricultural land – so that we can make sure that we don’t end up with too much energy solar energy and too much loss of agricultural land.”

Under the current wording of the ordinance, photovoltaic farms can set up solar power plants without having to go to the county council for a hearing.

The proposed changes would require a special agricultural land use permit, which would require a review and vote by the council.

The changes would also specify landscaping requirements between solar panels used by pollinators and birds, and would clarify the agreement on how solar panels should be removed when land leases expire decades later.

The changes would require solar panels to be at least 250 feet from a “non-participating” neighbor’s home or 50 feet from that neighbor’s property line, whichever is greater. Additionally, there would need to be a visual buffer of evergreen trees if solar panels were located next to a plot of more than 10 plots.

Remer said such changes are good, but the company feels that after communicating with county departments about the project for years, county officials have opted for a “bait and switch.”

“We’re having a hard time adapting,” he said.

He also noted that the company is willing to exclude certain areas and plant shrubs and other vegetation as visual buffers. He said Hexagon also has funding and plans to dismantle the panels when their time expires.

“Our goal is to make it as ineffective as possible,” he said.

Do you want to impose a moratorium on solar energy?

Now Drake wants to tighten the rules even more. Suggests the setback requirement should be increased to 500 feet. County planning staff report that across the state, other counties typically require setbacks ranging from 30 to 300 feet.

If and when the proposed changes are adopted, Drake and council member Randy Figg, whose district includes North Liberty, are urging the Area Planning Commission to also present the county with a moratorium on solar farms. Drake said she feels more empowered when she feels there are more residents in opposition. Opponents nearly filled the council chambers at Tuesday’s meeting, and just before that, several of them placed signs along the street in front of the County-City Building saying “Stop Solar Farms” and “Save Our Farmlands.”

In central Indiana, Boone County officials passed such a moratorium on solar farms this year. LaPorte County officials are developing such a project. Marshall County officials are considering that option.

St. County Joseph already operates two large solar farms: the approximately 1,000-acre Honeysuckle solar farm near New Carlisle and the 210-acre Indiana Michigan Power solar farm in Granger.

Drake said she has heard there may be several other solar farms in the county. A moratorium, she said, would be a way to stop solar power and study what its effects really are.

But it also questions solar energy as a reliable replacement for other forms of energy, government subsidies supporting solar energy, and whether solar panels can be recycled at the end of their life.

Linda Matzat and her husband treasure their property, where rare wildflowers grow on the 40 acres of native forest they protect and even more acres of native prairie and ecosystems they have planted.

They also steadfastly refused when Hexagon approached them for access. They admit they are only at the bottom of the learning curve when it comes to solar farms, but they are concerned about claims on the Internet that they have not been able to investigate, such as one that says waterfowl can be harmed if they dive for solar panels confusing them with water.

Amanda Richman, who lives near Lakeville, stood among protesters Tuesday and said there should be a moratorium “because people need time to study the problem and farmers need time to study what they’re getting into.”

Another man, giving only his first name, Richard, who lives three miles from the potential solar plants, said he didn’t want to lose the pastoral landscape in which he chose to live. But he also said, “I’m here to hear both sides.”

The council did not allow public comment on the solar ordinance Tuesday because President Mark Root said there would be time for that at upcoming meetings.

What’s next for the Hexagon project?

Remer told The Tribune that he had quietly heard the frustrations of the farmers with whom he signed leases. He said they feel like their neighbors are interfering with their right to earn income from the land.

And he will counter the impression that he acted in secret to arrange the lease agreements. He sent letters to residents Hexagon wanted access to, but didn’t contact other neighbors, he said, because the process didn’t require it.

He also said that Hexagon is not a large “faceless corporation.” Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, the company had four employees and now employs approximately 30, primarily in Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Mississippi and Virginia. Remer himself is raising a young family.

The project near North Liberty will take time before it can actually come to fruition. Remer said Hexagon submitted an application to connect to the electric grid with PJM, which coordinates the flow of electricity on the grid from New Jersey and Washington, through North Carolina to South Bend and Chicago.

He added that by the end of next year Hexagon may learn PJM’s decision regarding the feasibility of its offer for network access.

If this actually happens, Remer said, electricity will flow into the grid like water fed from a water supply network. So some of the energy can be used locally or further down the line.

County planners report they surveyed 92 Indiana counties and found 53 that have established regulations for commercial or large-scale solar energy operations. Of those, the staff report shows, 26% allow large-scale operations in agricultural districts without a public hearing process, as in St. County. Joseph, and 59% require a special or conditional use permit, as the county currently proposes.

When the county council passed amendments to the ordinance in 2020, it reportedly billed it as “one of the best places in the country for solar development.”

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on the South Bend Tribune: North Liberty Solar Farm Faces Opposition Over County Ordinance Changes