A lithium battery storage facility will not be built on property owned by real estate agent Ray Manzoni near Mount Sinai-Coram Road and Route 25A. The Brookhaven Town Board will not consider a proposal to change the zoning in the proposed area from “J Business District, Transitional Business Zone” to “L Industrial 1, Light Industrial Zone,” according to a June 5 press release from the Town of Brookhaven. In the press release, town Supervisor Dan Panico (R) stated that after attending the latest Mount Sinai Civic Association meeting, “people preferred the current zoning and/or the possibility of the redevelopment of the parcel into a use more compatible with the zoning.” He also stated there is “significant confusion regarding the New York State climate action goals and implementation of these battery energy storage systems.”

The Shawnee County Commission unanimously approved a one-year moratorium for solar energy conversion systems in Shawnee County. Commissioners also approved a ban on wind energy conversion systems, by a 2-1 vote. Commissioner Kevin Cook opposed. Thursday's motions came after the Shawnee County Planning Commission had a public meeting in May for Topeka and Shawnee County residents to weigh in on the issue.

The Shawnee County Commission unanimously approved a one-year moratorium for solar energy conversion systems in Shawnee County. Commissioners also approved a ban on wind energy conversion systems, by a 2-1 vote. Commissioner Kevin Cook opposed. Thursday's motions came after the Shawnee County Planning Commission had a public meeting in May for Topeka and Shawnee County residents to weigh in on the issue.

"Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection has issued a decision on nature protection conditions which prevents the planned construction of a wind farm on Mount Bukovik, according to an announcement by local environmental organization Sokobanja Ecological Society (SED). This is the first case in Serbia where the construction of a wind power plant has been effectively prohibited. If the Čestobrodica project were to be implemented, hundreds of hectares of forests would be cut down, leading to erosion, siltation of watercourses and lakes, drying up of springs, and changes in the microclimate, according to SED."

An effort to revive the conditional use permit application for the solar farm proposed in southwestern Scotts Bluff County failed during the Commissioners Monday meeting. Chair Ken Meyer placed the item on the agenda, asking if any of the three commissioners who voted against the application would offer a motion to rescind the decision from their meeting May 6...No motion was offered to rescind the May vote, and at the end of the meeting, public comment was evenly split between those saying the county should allow the project to move forward, and those thanking Knapper, Reisig and Blue for blocking the proposal.

Matt Hooper, Senior Director of Development for AES, stood before the Augusta County Planning Commission on May 14. His goal was to convince the board to recommend an over 1,600-acre solar energy system, landscaping buffers included, split up into five sites. He represented AES, a company operating functional solar energy systems in Spotsylvania County, Wight County, and Charles City....She also cited concerns with solar energy systems clustering, having so many distinct sites close to one another. Some of the sites would be near residential properties. “If you decide not to do this, 470 plus more acres are immediately available for growth,” Bragg said. According to Bragg, in Augusta County, "We like to be responsible and gradual growth, not all at once. A project of this size, in a growth area is 470 acres all at once, not gradual, not as time goes on." Then she made the motion, "I do want to move to be found the AES solar project is not a substantial accord with the Augusta County Comprehensive Plan and that we recommend denial of this project.” The opinion was shared by six of the seven planning commission members, and Bragg’s motion was approved in a 6-1 vote.

ED Note: TWO PROJECTS WERE REJECTED AT THE SAME PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, THEREFORE TWO ENTRIES FOR SAME LOCALE AND DATE.. Reducing the footprint of a 44-megawatt solar farm proposed for Burwells Bay and Moonlight roads didn’t win over Isle of Wight County’s Planning Commission. The commissioners, for the second time in six months, voted unanimously on May 28 to recommend denial of Jacksonville-based Palladium Energy’s requested conditional use permit for Moonlight Solar, which seeks to withdraw approximately 523 acres from agricultural use. County supervisors, who have the final say, had sent Palladium’s application back to the commissioners in March after Palladium proposed a slate of changes. An equally skeptical 6-2 majority of commissioners voted, also on May 28, to recommend denial of Arlington-based AES Corp.’s application for a larger, 240-megawatt solar farm dubbed Sycamore Cross, which would span more than 2,400 acres across the westernmost edge of the Isle of Wight-Surry county line, 5 miles from Moonlight and adjacent to the 2021-approved, 1,750-acre Cavalier solar farm that already straddles the border.

ED Note: TWO PROJECTS WERE REJECTED AT THE SAME PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, THEREFORE TWO ENTRIES FOR SAME LOCALE AND DATE.. Reducing the footprint of a 44-megawatt solar farm proposed for Burwells Bay and Moonlight roads didn’t win over Isle of Wight County’s Planning Commission. The commissioners, for the second time in six months, voted unanimously on May 28 to recommend denial of Jacksonville-based Palladium Energy’s requested conditional use permit for Moonlight Solar, which seeks to withdraw approximately 523 acres from agricultural use. County supervisors, who have the final say, had sent Palladium’s application back to the commissioners in March after Palladium proposed a slate of changes. An equally skeptical 6-2 majority of commissioners voted, also on May 28, to recommend denial of Arlington-based AES Corp.’s application for a larger, 240-megawatt solar farm dubbed Sycamore Cross, which would span more than 2,400 acres across the westernmost edge of the Isle of Wight-Surry county line, 5 miles from Moonlight and adjacent to the 2021-approved, 1,750-acre Cavalier solar farm that already straddles the border.

For the hundred or so Raymond residents who came to Tuesday’s Hinds County Planning Commission meeting about a proposed solar array, being able to see or hear what was going on was a luxury. The dozens of those who couldn’t fit into the packed, stuffy library room resigned to either peaking their heads in from the hallway or waiting outside in the 90 degree heat. The focus of the meeting centered around a small group of representatives from the Virginia-based company Apex Clean Energy. The group, sweating in their collared shirts, stood before the Planning Commission to pitch what they argued was a huge economic opportunity for Hinds County: new jobs, tax revenue, and the chance to attract other businesses wanting to use solar energy. After hearing everyone’s remarks, the Planning Commission ultimately voted against recommending the projects. Apex staff said at the meeting they started acquiring leases for the project, officially called “Soul City Solar,” in 2021, but residents said they first found about it during an informational session the company held on May 14. Most of those residents who came on Tuesday were displeased with the idea. They argued that Raymond — a town of just under 2,000 people — is a venue for nature and open spaces, and, while they understood the allure of new income for the area, filling thousands of acres of land with metal panels sticking out of the ground doesn’t fit in with the town’s image...Lauderdale started an online petition, which has close to 500 signatures, opposing Soul City Solar. Tuesday’s meeting was contentious from the jump, as the Planning Commission seemed unprepared for the large turnout...The installation would use just under 6,000 acres, they explained, leasing property, including farmland, from seven private landowners the company has agreements with. Apex promised to maintain a perimeter of trees around the property so as to hide the panels from their neighbors’ view. The project would produce 396 megawatts of electricity — in addition to battery storage of up to 70 megawatts...

Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has refused federal environmental approval for the first 100 MW solar stage of the proposed Kumbarilla Renewable Energy Park, citing its “unacceptable impact” on biodiversity including water sources and wildlife.