Counties granted renewable energy project authority, green opt-in planned next year

MEDINA — Medina County Commissioners will soon have the power to approve or deny utility-scale solar and wind energy projects in unincorporated areas of the county. The approval would then allow the projects to move forward in Ohio's certification process. The change will occur in October statewide when Ohio Senate Bill 52 goes into effect, which passed in the Senate 21-12 before a closer 52-44 House vote. While proponents of the bill have expressed a desire to give local property owners increased say in larger solar and wind projects, opposition points to no such restrictions existing for fossil fuel installations. All Ohio General Assembly Democrats voted against SB 52 but several Republicans also gave a thumbs down including District 70's Darrell Kick, R-Loudonville. Medina County Commissioners discussed the bill Tuesday and what it could mean for the future of local green energy. "We didn't ask for this authority but we now have it," said Commissioner Steve Hambley. "My suggestion is that we sit down with our planning services to work out what will happen should we get an application. How will they be processed and how will the planning commission be involved in giving us advice? We need to set up the criteria necessary for approval of these sites." While not disclosing a specific township, Hambley said local property owners have been approached by a solar energy developer in recent months regarding future work on their land that would fall under SB 52 provisions. "There is an active entity looking to develop a solar field of about 500 acres in one of our townships," he said. "They're meeting with property owners and it's pretty lucrative, in terms of the amount of money. They not only replace (Current Agricultural Use Value) but they have a considerable yearly amount that the property owners would receive in addition to an escalator clause for like 30 years. "It looks like this is going to visit us sooner than we think." SB 52 grandfathers in certain wind and solar work that's already underway but allows county commissioners to establish restricted areas where such projects can not take place. That authority does not carry into incorporated areas like cities and villages. County commissioners will have a 90-day window to review project proposals, over which a public meeting will be held describing work. If no local decision is made during this time, solar and wind applicants can proceed on the 91st day to the Ohio Power Sitting Board. "If townships are interested in attracting that kind of business, we can potentially facilitate it," said Commissioner Bill Hutson. "On the other hand, if they were not interested, we could regulate it out of existence. We do have very significant solar fields in Medina County. Wadsworth is a community that has its own power supply and they have two installations of solar panels. They are very significant in size and capacity." The city of Wadsworth's 39-acre, 6.25-megawatt capacity solar field at Seville Road produces enough power for 4,375 U.S. homes. Capacity on its 10-acre Rittman Road field reaches 2.62 megawatts, enough for 1,837 homes, according to output data. Opt-in planned for next year As part of the Medina County Economic Development Corp.'s utility savings program, commissioners plan to authorize a green energy opt-in next year. That option will reportedly be available in the third quarter of 2022. "I know one of the things we're looking at is how does the county become more green," county Administrator Scott Miller told commissioners. "We want to give the residents the ability to have the cheapest price possible for their electric. We can issue a proposal that will have a base price. Right now, the fossil fuel energy is cheaper than the green energy." "We can issue a proposal with just the fossil fuel energy that would be a cheaper price, but we can also ask the companies to allow residents to upgrade their service to a green type energy if they wanted to pay that higher price," he added. More information on the county's energy program can be found at medinacounty.org/save-money-on-utilities. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.