Lebanon Rural Area Solar Project Approved
Solar Panels are installed (Stock Photo – Metro Newspaper Service)
by Randy Pierce
Anticipated to provide power serving 1150 residential homes annually, a solar project to be located on Rieder Road in rural Lebanon was approved by the St. Clair County Board at its most recent regular monthly meeting held on Monday, June 30.
Situated between US Highway 50 and Interstate 64 and west of Illinois Route 4 at a site surrounded primarily by farm ground and wooded areas, the property zoned for agricultural industry is the future site of what has been defined by the applicants for the county’s special use permit as a 4.95-megawatt commercial solar energy system to occupy just under 30 acres on a tract measuring close to 134 acres.
As heard initially by the county’s zoning board of appeals earlier last month, the permit request that has been authorized is for a project that Keith Morel, representing Santa Clara Solar LLC of Lafayette, Louisiana, described as having the capability of reducing carbon emissions in the region by about 10,000 metric tons annually.
Existing low to moderate income customers of Ameren Illinois who receive electric utility service from this development will be entitled to subscribe, Morel said, to the solar energy system at a savings of 20 per cent over what they pay now.
Also speaking at the zoning hearing, which led to a unanimous recommendation for approval being forwarded to the full county board, was Michael Keith, a civil engineer from Naperville, Illinois, who explained the project will be over 200 feet from the nearest residence and include an eight-foot-high fence around its perimeter.
There will be, according to Keith, underground electrical lines interconnecting with five nearby Ameren utility poles along with above-ground wiring between the photovoltaic panels and rows of panels that absorb the sunlight as part of the daylight operation of the system and minimal sound.
He further stated a comprehensive report measuring the potential for glare was conducted last October with the result being there will be none that is disruptive to surrounding properties or motorists nor any connected to creating difficulty for aircraft from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport or Scott Air Force Base.
A total of 12,815 solar panels will be utilized in this project with construction, only on weekdays, planned to begin next February and to take about six months until completion. Keith said the first three or four of those months will be the busiest regarding trucks delivering equipment and materials at the site and no more than 20 of them are to be present at any given time.
The developers will position tree and shrub screening along the northern fence line of the project site in order to keep it from view by those living in adjoining residences. The operational life of the facility is projected at 20 years with additional renewal periods beyond that to be considered.
Areas of bare ground are to be covered with “pollinator-friendly” seed mix and maintained for as long as the property is being used for solar energy production. The developers had planned to install a fence with wooden posts, but the zoning board specified it should consist of metal-galvanized posts with concrete support.
Morel told the county zoning board that there have been studies documenting the lack of impact on the value of properties in this area but an individual who owns land south of there, Robert Shirer, expressed concern over how solar farms are impacting the area by diminishing agricultural production and also commented about the bonding process in place if the project does not get completed.
A county board member who represents the Lebanon area, Robert Wilhelm, was present at the zoning hearing and offered words of support for the project while another one, Scott Tieman of Belleville, advocated the use of union laborers there.
Mary J. and John Dietz are indicated in the information from the zoning board hearing as trustee owners of the property.