By Joseph Schultz
It was a full house Monday night as the Monterey Planning Commission reviewed NorthStar Clean Energy – Allegan Solar LLC’s plans for a 101-megawatt solar energy system and a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Monterey and Hopkins Townships. The solar project was presented to the Planning Commission in January and was scheduled to be reviewed in February. However, that meeting was delayed until Monday night because the township needed additional time to review the application.
Lori Castello, of Professional Code Inspections (PCI), started the review with a report stating that some items in the application needed to be clarified. One of the issues was that some of the participating parcels were smaller than the 20 acres required by the solar ordinance. There were also questions about the methodology used for the sound study and the height of the fencing, which was higher than permitted by the solar ordinance.
There was also a difficult issue with the proposed BESS. Castello stated that the solar ordinance only allows a BESS to be used as an accessory to the solar project. As the BESS is not connected to the solar project but is connected to the grid, it must be deemed a principal use and not an accessory use.
As the township does not have an ordinance allowing for the principal use of a BESS, the system would be prohibited. To remedy this, NorthStar Clean Energy – Allegan Solar LLC may need to remove the BESS from the application or appeal the BESS prohibition to the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) under Public Act 233. Public Act 233 not only allows for the primary use of a BESS, but it also gives authority to the PSC to overrule local permitting decisions. The township could also amend the ordinance to allow for the BESS.
Commissioners had questions about the decommissioning plans for the solar project, possible damage to the floodplain, and how the bonds would be set. They also expressed concerns about hazardous chemicals leaching out of damaged solar panels. Among the public comments were questions regarding where the solar panels were being built, the life expectancy of the panels, and whether the solar project was associated with a possible data center in Dorr.
NorthStar Clean Energy Senior Manager Colin Daining told the commission that the solar panels are built in Toledo, Ohio, and their life expectancy is 35 years. Daining also stated that, contrary to social media reports, the solar project is not connected to a possible Dorr data center.
Township resident Anita Kerber asked the commission if they were going to act on the petition for a moratorium she had given to the commissioners in the January meeting. The commissioners did not recall receiving the petition, which was signed by 28 members of the community. Castello told Kerber that the Planning Commission did not have the authority to issue a moratorium. The petition would need to be submitted to the township board, as they hold the authority to issue a moratorium.
In the end, the Planning Commission decided to table the application so that NorthStar’s engineers and lawyers could meet with the township’s engineers and lawyers to work out the details of the project. The next meeting to address the solar application is scheduled for May 11th. The questions and answers from the January planning meeting, as well as PCI’s report, were posted on the township’s website as the meeting took place.
Editor’s Note: This article is courtesy of TownBroadcast
