Local solar and wind farm debate continues - WKBN.com
Solar and Wind Farm Debate continues in Mahoning County, Ohio
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio(WKBN) – The debate on whether large-scale solar and wind farms should be allowed continued Thursday in Mahoning County.
Mahoning County Commissioners previously held two public hearings on the subject as multiple townships in the county have requested the farms be banned.
“I’m for all forms of energy, but in our community, we heard from the townships,” said Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Trafficanti. “They passed their resolutions based on what their residents said so that’s why we had public hearings to hear it straightforward from the townships.”
Boardman township also recently put in its resolution to ban large-scale farms, though township administrator Jason Loree said they’re working on policies for smaller-scale business operations along with conditions for individual homeowners who want to upgrade their homes using solar technology.
“In Boardman Township, there’s just not the acreage available for the large-scale systems — No. 1,” said Boardman Township Administrator Jason Loree. “No. 2, if the law changes and allows for stormwater requirements and decommissioning bonds to be put in place, we’ll revisit it.”
A township can submit an application through the Ohio Power Siting Board, which reviews and approves new wind and solar facilities.
Mahoning County commissioners are expected to take action on the requests from multiple townships to ban them within the next couple of weeks.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: solar
Declining costs and government encouragement have resulted in a rapid increase in solar energy production in the United States over the past 10 years, although solar’s share remains small: 1.6 percent of all electricity generation in 2018. That rapid growth is projected to continue.