A massive solar energy project that sparked a backlash in Adams County has lost a second court fight. The Commonwealth Court marked its decision “precedential” when it upheld a lower court ruling that denied a key permit to the Brookview Solar project in Mount Joy Township, outside Gettysburg. That means the decision could inform future cases in which communities fight proposed development...NextEra Energy Resources planned to lease 1,000 acres in the township, spread over multiple parcels, for the 75 megawatt Brookview Solar project, with panels covering about 500 acres...The court also upheld local zoning that requires applicants prove their projects won’t cause harm. “Brookview has failed to prove by credible evidence that the proposed use will not detract from the use and enjoyment of adjacent or nearby lots, substantially change the character of the neighborhood, or adversely affect property values,” Judge Michael George found in his decision.

Rural Ottawa city councillors refused support to three companies bidding to build batteries for storing renewable energy, saying they want more reassurances the projects — each multiple hectares in size — won't unduly impact residents. The technology is part of Ontario's plans to address rising energy demands poised to overwhelm the grid within years.

Commissioners have spent several weeks working on a resolution to extend it. At this week’s meeting, the commissioners signed a resolution to extend the moratorium for three more years. The moratorium is on utility-scale solar projects which are considered commercial facilities for the purpose of wholesale generated electricity. Solar farms provide solar power greater than one megawatt with the potential to generate several hundred megawatts of electricity and encompass several thousand acres of Pottawatomie County...The moratorium was adopted with a 2-1 vote.

Plans for a battery energy storage facility on farmland near Penkridge have been thrown out by councillors concerned about impact on the countryside. The proposal, which would have enabled up to 50 megawatts of energy storage, was earmarked for a 3.7 hectare (9.1 acre) site on the south west side of Levedale Road and recommended for approval by planning officers at South Staffordshire Council. But on Tuesday members of the council’s planning committee voted to refuse permission. Several members of the public attended the meeting to view proceedings and hear the decision

Plans to build a battery plant on greenbelt land in West Yorkshire have been rejected. Harmony Energy had wanted to install the battery energy storage system (BESS) on a plot near Allerton Bywater, in south east Leeds. However, Leeds City Council rejected the scheme, saying it would "represent inappropriate development" in the Green Belt. Hundreds of locals had objected to the plans on fire safety grounds.

A group campaigning against a wind farm amidst fears it would "overshadow" Brora has expressed their delight after a Scottish Government decision to reject plans for the development. Loth Residents said they were pleased at the outcome, having campaigned against the 15-turbine Kintradwell Estate development for over two years, citing concerns over its visual impact on the Sutherland landscape. Renewable energy company RES Group first applied to the Scottish Government for consent to build the wind farm on a moorland site at Kintradwell Estate just north of Brora back in February 2021. But following a near two-and-a-half-year process, plans for the development have now been rejected.

The Venango Township Planning Commission has recommended the rejection of a conditional-use application needed to build a giant solar farm in the township. Township supervisors will make the final decision on the application. They are expected to vote on the matter later this month. Wilson Solar LLC, a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Birch Creek Development, applied for conditional-use permission from the township to build a 902-acre, 80-megawatt solar farm along Jones Road, mainly on land zoned for agriculture. Planning commission members said in their recommendation to reject that permission that the proposed solar farm does not meet township zoning regulations written to implement the land use and development objectives of the township's long-range comprehensive plan.

The Will County Board rejected plans Thursday for a solar farm in Green Garden Township near Frankfort after more than a dozen residents, elected officials and Frankfort staff members said the proposed energy facility did not fit with the surrounding community. The solar facility would have been about a quarter mile from the village of Frankfort’s border, and officials there objected to the plan. Michael Schwarz, Frankfort’s director of community and economic development, said it was not consistent with the comprehensive plan. Chicago-based Surya Powered wanted to build a 5-megawatt commercial solar farm on about 45 acres of vacant land south of Stunkel Road, east South 88th Avenue near Frankfort. The property is being farmed. Had it been approved, the company anticipated starting construction in the spring, county documents said. In September, Surya Powered withdrew plans for a 5 megawatt plant on a 77-acre site at 24890 W. Center Road, about a quarter-mile north of Monee-Manhattan Road, in the face of opposition.

Companies will not be allowed to build wind and solar farms in Harvey County. The Harvey County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to ban commercial wind and utility-scale solar renewable energy projects in the county...Last year, the commission put more restrictions on its commercial renewable energy regulations. Then, the Zoning Advisory Board requested the commission institute a six-month moratorium on commercial renewable energy construction. The commission approved the moratorium in February and extended it in August. It was set to end on Dec. 5.

Companies will not be allowed to build wind and solar farms in Harvey County. The Harvey County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to ban commercial wind and utility-scale solar renewable energy projects in the county...Last year, the commission put more restrictions on its commercial renewable energy regulations. Then, the Zoning Advisory Board requested the commission institute a six-month moratorium on commercial renewable energy construction. The commission approved the moratorium in February and extended it in August. It was set to end on Dec. 5.