Efforts to deliver more battery energy storage to the city recently were put on hold when council members voted 7-1 April 23 to establish safety and research requirements, postponing the process of rezoning and approving a special use permit for a 10-megawatt project...Mayor Nick Long and Mayor Pro Tem Justin Hicks, along with council members Andy Mann, Tommy Cones, Courtney Chadwell, Chad Tressler and Sean Saunders, voted to postpone. “We need to spend time and create the safest possible lithium-ion battery ordinance we can,” Long said. “We also need to spend time educating and preparing our first responders. They’re not currently up to speed on what to do with these.”

The San Miguel Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved a resolution on Wednesday to extend an “emergency temporary moratorium” halting commercial solar and major utility projects. San Miguel County is in the process of updating the Land Use Code to incorporate regulations on solar energy, renewables and major utilities. Last year, the BOCC adopted a resolution on May 24, 2023, to place a moratorium on solar and major utility projects until the draft of solar regulations is complete. The board granted a six-month extension to the moratorium in November, which goes through May 15, 2024. The moratorium applies to all projects located partially or wholly within unincorporated San Miguel County.

Town lawmakers on Tuesday doubled an existing six-month moratorium on installations in hopes of buying time to flesh out new regulations.

New York canceled power contracts for three offshore wind projects Friday, citing a turbine maker’s plans to scrap its biggest machines. The news is a heavy blow to the U.S. offshore wind industry and a major setback for the climate ambitions of New York — and President Joe Biden. The three projects would have delivered 4 gigawatts of offshore wind to the state, amounting to almost half of New York’s 2035 goal.in an announcement Friday, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority said it failed to come to terms with the three projects after GE Vernova and LM Wind Power decided to scrap plans for an 18-megawatt turbine in February. That meant the project developers would have had to install more turbines to supply the amount of electricity they had promised to send to the state, raising their project costs. “Given these developments, no final awards will be made,” NYSERDA said Friday, adding that it “will look to advance a future competitive solicitation.”

Plans to put what would be North Dakota's largest standalone wind farm in the heart of coal country ran into a stumbling block when the McLean County Commission unanimously voted to deny a preliminary project area permit after an hourslong hearing.

OREGON — At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the Ogle County Board unanimously denied a special use permit for one solar project, and unanimously approved another. The denied special use permit was requested by Cenergy Power for a five-megawatt community solar project in Lincoln Township on agricultural-zoned land. The application said the project would be located on approximately 33 acres of the 68.78-acre site. County Board Member Dan Janes (R-Stillman Valley, District 5) led the proceedings on the special use decisions. He said the county's zoning board of appeals voted 3-1 to recommend the denial of the Cenergy Power application. "That land has an extremely-high Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) score," Janes said. "Our committee on this supported the ZBA's findings and voted against accepting it due to the same premise. This is a fine piece of farm land. Last month, we all unanimously endorsed a resolution to support high-quality farm land. More petitions like these will come before the county board. I don't want to see us do one thing and say another. My recommendation is to deny this application." The Lincoln Township land scored a 92 on the LESA method, which tops out at 100. LESA is a land evaluation method for cropland and integrates soil survey interpretations for important farmland classes, land capability classification, and either soil productivity or soil potential ratings.

The Vermilion County Board has voted to reject three site proposals for commercial solar energy facilities. All three had been proposed on sites in the southern part of the county. Andrew Kite, an attorney representing the county, reminded board members to focus on the evidence that was considered by the board’s wind and solar committee…. The projects the county board rejected included an approximate 180- megawatt project covering over 1400 acres in Jamaica and Vance townships (in the southwestern part of the county). Also rejected were applications to construct and operate an approximately 4-megawatt commercial solar energy facility just west of Ridge Farm, and an approximate 5-megawatt commercial solar energy facility on about 60 acres of land in Elwood Township – also near Ridge Farm. Eleven of the twenty-six county board members were absent when the votes were taken. Two abstained during the voting citing possible conflicts of interest. Only one voted yes with thirteen voting no. The Illinois General Assembly had earlier approved legislation and Governor JB Pritzker signed it which states if an application for a commercial solar facility meets all ordinance requirements, then county boards shall approve their application.

On April 15, the Commissioners Meeting resulted in a unanimous vote to enact a two-year moratorium on large-scale solar parks and wind farms. This decision followed a public meeting convened by the Boone County Commissioners on April 4, 2024, specifically to discuss concerns regarding these projects. The Boone County Commissioners stated, “We’re pleased to announce the adoption of a two-year solar moratorium, reflecting the strong community support. We extend our gratitude to all community members for their valuable input. Now, it’s time to focus on finalizing our solar ordinances and comprehensive plan.”

On April 15, the Commissioners Meeting resulted in a unanimous vote to enact a two-year moratorium on large-scale solar parks and wind farms. This decision followed a public meeting convened by the Boone County Commissioners on April 4, 2024, specifically to discuss concerns regarding these projects. The Boone County Commissioners stated, “We’re pleased to announce the adoption of a two-year solar moratorium, reflecting the strong community support. We extend our gratitude to all community members for their valuable input. Now, it’s time to focus on finalizing our solar ordinances and comprehensive plan.”

The Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission on a 6-2 roll-call vote on Tuesday, April 9, decided to recommend to the board of county commissioners that a prohibition against large-scale solar utility projects be adopted. The decision to recommend a prohibition on large-scale solar projects will no doubt have the attention of representatives from Clearway Energy Group, which has already laid out plans for a solar installation that covers almost two-thirds of a 3,300-acre tract which is located directly south of the La Cygne power plant. EDF Renewables’ plan to lease at least that much land south of Clearway’s project also will be affected.