Nov. 5--Sutter County leaders appear prepared to warm to the arrival of solar energy farms -- but not at the cost of prime farmland.
The county is reviewing its zoning laws in hopes of deciding where and how many commercial solar arrays to allow in its rural areas. As the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday started discussing a permitting system for the facilities -- one leg of power companies' plan to meet future laws demanding more renewable energy sources -- members were forced to weigh the possible profits from state incentives against the loss of up to 500 acres a site.
"The only thing I worry about is this popping up everywhere," said Supervisor James Gallagher, whose 5th District is home to much of the county's rice production. "It takes up a lot of space and could potentially take a lot of ag land out of production, and that's not a good thing. We don't want (construction) to get out of control."
California utilities will be required to produce one-third of their electricity without fossil fuels by 2020, under an executive order Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed last year. The new requirement raises the bar from the 20-percent minimum utilities must reach by 2010.
The looming requirement has led to at least six unofficial inquiries this year -- but no permit applications so far -- from landowners and investors seeking sites to build solar panels in hopes of a windfall, according to Doug Libby, Sutter County's principal planner.
Current zoning law allows landowners in agricultural areas to build power plants "for local service," but doesn't specify how far the resulting electricity can be transmitted. In addition, no size limits exist for solar farms, which can fill hundreds of acres for one location.
The lack of clear size limits concerned Supervisor Stan Cleveland, who urged planners to steer any solar projects toward less productive farmland. Even with those safeguards, he predicted, disputes over the suitability of farmland are likely.
"This isn't a one-size-fits-all thing," he said. "How do you say yes to one farmer and no to another farmer, and differentiate between what's acceptable and what's not?"
Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Howard Yune at 749-4708 or
hyune@appealdemocrat.com
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