Georges Township residents ready for solar farm hearing
For the third, and likely final, time the Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board will hear testimony next Wednesday before deciding whether to grant a special exception for a proposed solar farm in Georges Township
Susquehanna Solar LLC of Fort Mill, S.C., wants to build an 88-acre solar farm on two tracts of land in a residential area near Route 119, but needs a special exception. The proposed farm would have numerous solar panels capable of generating electricity that would be sent to the grid.
The proposal has been sharply opposed by many who have noted concerns about the farm in a residentially-zoned area, as it will sit near about 30 homes and Albert Gallatin Area High School.
“This isn’t political, this isn’t against renewable energy” said Riley Lampe, a township resident who’s been vocal about her concerns. “Our issue is location. There are more appropriate places for a utility-scale solar farm.”
Lampe is a member of the local advocacy group Concerned Citizens of Georges Township. The group has been collecting online petition signatures, gathering local expert opinions and organizing residents to help voice the opposition to the farm and its proposed location.
Ryan Robinson of Georges Township submitted an expert report to the zoning board on July 22, detailing concerns about the farm’s impact.
“Grid-scale solar is something that is coming to Southwestern Pennsylvania,” Robinson, who has an associate’s degree in electrical engineering and construction technology, said Tuesday. “It’s more suited for heavy industrial sites or vacant agricultural sites, not to be surrounded by houses.”
One of his concerns is the potential for costs that could end up coming out of taxpayers’ pockets. Robinson specifically noted the potential need to upgrade the current electrical grid to make it compatible with solar energy. Additionally, he contended, the solar farm could stress the resources of emergency responders should there be a fire or other issue there.
“Local municipalities aren’t prepared for this level of construction to come into their area,” he said. “So the ordinances need to be drafted for the type of panels and locations of these sites.”
State Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa, who has been vocal in her disapproval of the project, said she would like to see county and municipal zoning boards develop ordinances to address solar farms.
“(Local municipalities) need to get experts involved and come up with a comprehensive, detailed zoning ordinance to make sure the local community members have a leg to stand on when this kind of injustice happens,” Krupa said.
According to the Susquehanna Solar’s filings in the case, the business believes it has satisfied the requirements for a special exception, including minimizing any disturbances to surrounding homes and businesses. Should the zoning hearing board approve the request, its members could attach additional conditions to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.
Representatives from Susquehanna Solar did not return calls for comment on the solar farm proposal.
The hearing will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m. in the commissioners meeting room at the former Gallatin Bank Building, 2 W. Main St., Uniontown. The hearing is expected to last all day.