Growing interest in wind and solar energy development — which was spurred by Xcel Energy 's intent to build a high-voltage transmission line in the region — has led two counties to adopt moratoriums on renewable energy projects.

The state Office of Renewable Energy Siting has rejected the controversial Shepherd’s Run solar project application about a month after a group of farmers bought a key portion of land slated for development....The rejected proposal, which received draft approval in October, sought to build a solar array on about 220 acres of an 880-acre footprint along and around routes 23 and 7 that would connect to a nearby New York State Electric & Gas substation. Once connected, Shepherd’s Run planned to provide 60 megawatts of power back to the grid, enough to power 15,000 homes annually, according to Hecate.

A developer’s plan for an 858-acre solar energy farm in North Annville Township suffered a setback on Jan. 26 when a local judge denied its request for a conditional use under the township’s zoning law. The tract is composed of 12 properties near Route 934, all zoned agricultural. All of the owners have agreements with developer Lebanon Solar I LLC, allowing it to install solar panels on the land. The decision by Lebanon County Judge Bradford Charles comes over two and a half years after the project was first proposed by Lebanon Solar I and effectively halts it unless the decision is reversed on appeal or the developer starts over by filing a new application.

South Korea has slammed the brakes on BlackRock’s offshore wind farm project worth around 10 trillion won ($7.5 billion), citing financing uncertainty and an insufficient transmission network for what was set to be the country’s largest wind power complex, according to a government official on Tuesday. BlackRock plans to build five wind farms off South Korea’s southwestern coast in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province after it acquired a 100% stake in Korea Renewable Energy Development & Operation Holdings Co. (KREDO Holdings) via BlackRock Real Assets in 2021.

A proposed 21-acre solar farm project, slated for a North Avenue parcel, was denied for a zoning variance and special-use permit by the Antioch Planning Commission. Both the variance and site plan were rejected by a 3-2 vote, during a Jan. 3 session, held jointly with the village’s Zoning Board. Despite the denial, the project now moves to a Village Board meeting for discussion, which may also include a formal approval.

Plans to build a 65,000-panel solar farm have been rejected following concerns about "the irreversible loss" of agricultural land. Wessex Solar Energy said the 102-acre farm at Haddon, Cambridgeshire, would generate enough renewable energy to power 7,713 homes a year. Huntingdonshire District Council's planning committee turned down the application for the second time. Wessex Solar Energy was approached for comment. The proposal attracted 106 objections and 49 comments in support, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported. said.

At the January 15, 2024, Muscatine County Board of Supervisors' meeting, they unanimously passed a resolution establishing a temporary moratorium on the issuance of special use permits for commercial wind energy conversion systems, of which my family, neighbors, and other residents of the county are grateful....Now, with this nine-month moratorium, there will be time to review and update the ordinances with public input as well as other potential detrimental effects. Also, discussed at the meeting, is that the county intends to consult experts on these issues as well as the impact of wind turbines' adverse effects on the National Weather Service' Doppler radar, which has compromised accurate warnings of tornadoes and has falsely predicted torrential rain in the past in Iowa. See also, https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/01/10/muscatine-county-poised-to-enact-wind-farm-moratorium/#:~:text=Muscatine%20County%20leaders%20are%20expected,in%20a%20meeting%20this%20week.

A five-year fight by the Mudgee council and local landowners against the 10 megawatt (MW) Burrundulla solar project is over, after a New South Wales court knocked the application back on the grounds of its impact on “scenic quality.” A judge in the NSW Land and Environment Court agreed it was too close to homes, and mitigation factors such as building mounds of earth to hide the solar panels from neighbours and the road into Mudgee would fundamentally change the landscape character. “The excessive scale of the proposed solar arrays, located on a site that is within a low-lying, visually sensitive rural landscape setting adjoining the main entrance corridor to Mudgee… demonstrates that the development as proposed is not suitable for the site,” said senior commissioner Susan Dixon in her judgement.

Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure issued a notice of opinion refusing planning permission for the Unshinagh Wind Farm. The 14-turbine onshore wind farm, planned approximately 2.5 miles west of Carnlough, has been proposed by Renewable Energy Systems (RES). In reaching the decision the permanent secretary of the department has given full and careful consideration to all material planning considerations, the department said in a media release.

The Vacaville City Council unanimously rejected extending the city’s Exclusive Negotiating Rights Agreement with Menard Energy at a special meeting Wednesday evening. Menard had proposed to build a lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System at the former Gibson Canyon Creek wastewater facility owned by the city. Since a standing-room-only meeting hosted by the city in September to outline details of the facility, public backlash to the proposal and the continuation of the ENRA has crescendoed to a roar.