With solar farms becoming a major concept and development in west Kentucky, Trigg County Fiscal Court worked to stay current Thursday night — as Judge-Executive Stan Humphries and magistrates held a small public forum at the Lexie Bush Convention Center.
The main topic: the Kentucky General Assembly’s Senate Bill 4, Subsection 274. Effective as of June 29, the measure imposes developed guidelines for massive solar panel installations and codifies concepts and law surrounding:
— A merchant electric generating facility;
— Its need for specific construction certificates;
— Its rules if replacing a coal-fired plant with an exhaust stack;
— The proper decomissioning and setback/easement requirements for construction;
— The required public meetings, and citing committee, necessary for land acquisition;
— And any exceptions deemed fit by state and local governments.
At minimum, it asks for solar and wind production be 1,000 feet from a property boundary, and 2,000 feet from any neighborhood, school, hospital or nursing home facility.
Humphries clarified to the small, but well-prepared, gathering that no measures and no action have been planned by the court at this time. However, in efforts to potentially prepare for development and avoid pending litigation that exists other Kentucky counties, Humphries said he and his staff have had a great desire for community feedback about its likely arrival in Trigg County.
According to Humphries, an RFP has already been delivered by the Tennessee Valley Authority — one calling for more than 5,000 megawatts of non-carbon electric generation in this region. The goal is to continue the reduction of fossil fuel dependence, with federal benchmarks set for 2030 and 2050.
Power demand, he said, is at an all-time high, and for a number of factors. Through litigators in the Kentucky Association of Counties, discussions from he and the fiscal court have already turned into requested and returned drafted legislation from other municipalities, including those nearby, in order to review what might be best for Trigg County.
Bob Young, of Cadiz and formerly of Manhattan, New York, said he and his wife loved the area for its natural beauty and wildlife, and he raised a number of concerns about massive installations.
What about the flora and fauna of Trigg County?
What happens when large hail and wind storms render a grid inoperable?
Can solar panels, broken or cashed out, be recycled in a safe manner?
Will future solar farms depend on large lithium ion storage tanks, which can be dangerous?
If necessary, are local fire departments trained and equipped for the potential of large electrical fires?
Will construction bonds have the solvency required to pay for the lifespan and burial of the site?
And will accepting land-based companies eventually lead to floating solar installations, potentially on Lake Barkley?
Another unnamed Trigg County resident chimed in, noting that another coal plant would be a terrible solution to the power problem — and that solar had cleaner, greener benefits.
John Taylor, a resident of west Trigg County, said he already has a small LLC of solar panels on his 150-acre property and drives an electric vehicle, and said it would behoove Trigg County to prepare ordinances that, at the very least, take advantage of federal and state tax credits for renewable energy before “they’re no longer there.”
He also suggested that TVA could implement micro-incentives for homeowners and consumers just as they had farmers and their land in the past, and urged that certain parts of the county need energy relief.
Joe Nichols, owner/operator of Seven Springs Farms, said the state’s guidelines “should be enough” for a county ordinance, and that he only wants to respect his neighbor by never telling them “what color to paint their house.”
He also made a strong point concerning property values.
Derrick Miller, customer relations manager for TVA’s North Region, was on hand for questions and observation.
FULL AUDIO:
LAW: 23RS SB 4 (ky.gov)
