Claridon Township Trustees voted unanimously Feb. 17 to ask Geauga County Commissioners to ban big solar and wind farms in the township.
Claridon Township Trustees voted unanimously Feb. 17 to ask Geauga County Commissioners to ban big solar and wind farms in the township.
Trustee Jonathan Tiber said if the commissioners designate the township as a restricted area, that will block the construction of solar and wind farms within the township.
“Trustees can’t do that, but the commissioners can do it for us,” he said, adding the restriction is for any facility that creates more than 50 megawatts of energy.
“I think it’s in the best interests of our residents. We are getting a lot of inquiries about medium-sized farms,” Tiber said.
He cited Ohio Senate Bill 52, which took effect in 2021, as the basis for his resolution to the commissioners.
The online summary of the bill includes the paragraph, “County commissioners can designate all or part of the unincorporated area of a county as a restricted area; no applications or amendments may be e-filed for a facility in the restricted area if the facility type is prohibited in that restricted area. (Rec. 303.58).”
The summary may be found online at opsb.ohio.gov/news/sb52. The resolution specifies that no solar or wind farms producing above 50 megawatts are to be built in Claridon or overlap any township border.
“This zoning resolution is to promote the public health, safety, morality and general welfare and to protect and conserve property and property values,” the resolution read.
Claridon Township’s zoning aims to protect the rural and agricultural character of the township, promote public safety, provide open spaces for light and air, and prevent excessive concentration of population, according to the township.
“Solar and wind farms are not agriculture, as defined by the Ohio Revised Code. The Ohio Power Siting Board regulates solar and wind farms that are 50MW and higher under Chapter 4906 of the Ohio Revised Code,” the resolution read.
While no townships in Geauga County have addressed the issue, others in Ohio are doing so, Tiber said, adding he borrowed the wording of the resolution from another Claridon Township in Marion County.
Smaller solar and wind farms would not be prohibited if the commissioners grant Claridon’s request.
Most of the online sites explaining how much land would be needed to generate one megawatt of solar power were sponsored.
A current estimation by Community Solar Authority in May 2024 read, “Generally speaking, for every megawatt of solar power you aim to generate, you’ll need anywhere from 5-10 acres of land. The variation in the required acreage for generating a megawatt of solar power isn’t just plucked from thin air; it’s underpinned by solid empirical evidence and fluctuates depending on the technological approaches employed, as well as the specific characteristics of each geographical area.”
