20051457 Ver 1_Report on work with NC Sustainable Energy and NC Solar Center.msg_20130612

Strickland, Bev
From: Diuguid, Bill [bill.diuguid @ncdenr.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 1:03 PM
To: Matthews, Matt
Cc: Bennett, Bradley; Reeder, Tom
Subject: Report on work with NC Sustainable Energy and NC Solar Center
Attachments: image002.jpg
I wanted to bring you up to date on my activities with the NC Sustainable Energy Association and the NC Solar Center at
NCSU, since you recommended /appointed me the DWQ contact with these organizations.
I have had a extensive discussion with Miriam Makhyoun with NC Sustainable Energy and Tommy Cleveland with the NC
Solar Center on the development of a North Carolina model Solar Development and Siting ordinance for NC
communities.
They are trying to reach consensus with the solar industry, government regulator types and other general stakeholder
types and interested citizens with respect to a Model Solar Development and Siting Ordinance for large ground and
rooftop solar collector development that can be used by NC cities and counties to adopt as they receive proposals to
develop large scale solar farms in their communities. I told the two of them that I was most comfortable speaking with
them about what we would require from a stormwater permitting perspective, but that I could point them in the
direction of other environmental concerns that I don*t directly work in.
From their research, fifty (50) jurisdictions in the state have some regulations that govern the installation of solar farms,
some 20 plus installations have already been built in the state. Mike Randall and I on a recent trip to the coast spotted
two installations on what appeared to be Camp Lejeune property in Jacksonville.
Many cities and counties in NC have approved and seen the installation of large scale solar farms constructed in their
jurisdictions.
Additionally, Mike Randall and I both have commented back to Cabarrus County about a site plan proposal submitted to
the county for a 21 acre solar farm. The county wanted to know our thoughts about what would be considered
impervious surface or not and whether the site would need a state stormwater permit under the Phase 11 MSI program
because the county is tipped -in. The solar farm will need a state stormwater permit, although we will, in all likelihood,
permit the site as a low density development.
I reviewed with Miriam M. and Tommy C. what the Division of Water Quality would be most interested in with respect
to such a model ordinance. In summary, we would want to see the site plan and assess the total environmental impact
of a development, natural resources, threatened and endangered species, air and water quality, probably less so visual
and aesthetic impacts. We would want to encourage them to promote through such an ordinance, the public education
opportunity of solar farm development from the sustainable energy objective and the use of renewable energy
resources. So rather than focusing on screening such a development from view, they should ensure and encourage
communities to provide vistas or viewing towers to see these installations, public education, tours, etc. of these solar
farms in pursuit of sustainable energy objectives. This is similar to the required six minimum measure approach in Phase
II stormwater program where two of the objectives are one, public education and outreach, and two, public
participation and involvement.
From a stormwater perspective, we would want to check the amount of impervious surface being created.
We would want to know how much land disturbance, removal of vegetation was occurring towards calculating the
amount of runoff, pre and post development. Also, the potential impact to downstream properties. Is the site close to
or impacts riparian buffers, intermittent and perennial streams, wetlands, drainage design, etc. We would want to know
what ancillary activities would occur at the site, what type chemicals or potentially toxic materials would be stored or
used at the site, if any. I told them I was willing to work in more detail on the effort to produce the model. I indicated
that had retired from local government after 31.5 years, and was most familiar with the development review and
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approval process as I worked as a land use planner and development regulator as well as later being on the developer
side in charge of the cityAs construction, real estate, facilities management, etc. for over ten years and 30 million
dollars a year in construction projects at the peak.
In general, large scale solar farms are fairly passive land uses. Little transportation impact or traffic, low impact on local
infrastructure, roads, schools, police and fire protection, utilities. They do have to have a clear utility path to the local
electric utility company infrastructure to upload the electricity they are generating. You have to protect sun angles on
these sites, so there could be an impact on directly adjacent properties that would need to be investigated.
I attended the Forum on Solar Development and Siting in North Carolina that these two organizations sponsored on
May 31" at the Nature Research Center of the Museum. We heard legal issues, consultant groups working in the solar
industry, a local government planner who had three solar projects in his county, the NC Farm BureauAs perspective,
and NCSU Forestry and Environmental Resources thoughts.
Issues discussed were siting, zoning, subdivision, site plan requirements, environmental concerns and assessments,
screening, impacts to local infrastructure if any, public perception, public involvement as an early stage, etc.
One interesting thing I learned (and yes, old dogs can learn new tricks) from the Farm BureauAs presentation was that
the solar farms can be leased and built on farmland and still preserve the farmland tax exemption if a dual purpose
approach is used in the construction.
By elevating the collector array six feet off the ground or more, it is still possible to have cattle and sheep grazing under
the collector panels, or for the planting of crops that strive on less or limited sunlight. This preserves the farmland tax
exemption. I hope to hear or read more about this.
The two groups are pursuing both rooftop commercial installations as well as ground installations. But the focus of the
workshop forum seemed to be on ground located arrays.
I did talk with the Warren County planner who describes the three sites in his county, one complete and operational,
one under construction, and one in plan review. He said most citizens were in favor for these sites, didnAt see them as
a threat. He did say that one fellow came to the public hearing and complained about the proposed solar farm and said
it was ugly, and that it was too close to the road and needed to be heavily screened from view. The planner said he
found out later that the fellow was a nearby disgruntled farmer who lost out in the bidding to secure the solar farm on
his property. I did talk with the planner about arranging a visit to the Warren County solar farm that is up and running.
He was willing to set something up for us.
NC Sustainable Energy and NC Solar Center will hold three more forums across the state in the coming months and a
final forum in Charlotte in October where the model solar ordinance will be presented for consideration. I may want to
travel down and go to that Charlotte forum.
I note that there are several model solar ordinances out there that I have found in a internet search. I particularly like a
Minnesota model developed by Solar Minnesota with a U.S. Dept of Energy grant.
I will continue to bird -dog this process and let you know of milestones, etc.
M
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Bill Diuguid, AICP
Staff Planner, Stormwater Permitting
Wetlands and Stormwater Branch
Division of Water Quality I NCDENR
1617 Mail Service Center (Mail)

512 N. Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 27604 1 9th Floor (Location & Parcels)
Raleigh North Carolina 27699 -1617
Phone: 919 - 807 -6369 1 Fax: 919 - 807 -6494
Website: http: / /portal.ncdenr.org /web /wq /ws /su
E -mail correspondence to and from this address maybe subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and maybe disclosed to third parties.