5 things to know about solar farms as St. Joseph County sets new restrictions.

Here are five things to know after the St. Joseph County Council on Tuesday passed new restrictions and requirements on commercial solar farms.

Final vote: With more solar farms quietly on the way, council passes restrictions but not moratorium

How big are the solar farms that are being planned in North Liberty?

The Virginia-based company Hexagon Energy so far plans to set up solar panels on 2,300 to 2,500 acres of farmland that it would lease from local property owners, Scott Remer, senior director of development for Hexagon, said. The parcels are scattered about the North Liberty area. Collectively, they could generate 300 megawatts — enough to power 50,000 homes — and would feed into the nearby Dumont electrical substation, which is known to be one of the most powerful substations in the U.S.

But Remer also said that it will be another two years before the solar panels are erected. Before that can happen, he said, it will have to be deemed feasible by the organization PJM, which coordinates the movement of electricity in a grid from New Jersey and Washington, D.C., to North Carolina to South Bend and Chicago. Remer said he is one of two Hexagon employees working on the North Liberty project. He said they’ve committed to talking with neighbors to accommodate their concerns.

Will Hexagon’s project be across the road from Potato Creek State Park?

Initially, neighbors cited that the company planned solar fields directly south of Potato Creek State Park along Indiana 4. But a more recent map from Hexagon shows nothing along Indiana 4. All of the scattered parcels with Hexagon leases are south of there.  

Where else are there solar farms in St. Joseph County?

St. Joseph County already has two large-scale solar operations: the Honeysuckle Solar Farm on about 1,000 acres near New Carlisle and Indiana Michigan Power’s 210-acre solar farm in Granger. 

But county officials on Tuesday said that other companies are making plans for solar farms. On Monday, four such companies, including Hexagon, submitted applications to the county for building permits and commercial plan review.

What Indiana counties have a moratorium against solar farms?

In central Indiana, Boone County officials passed such a solar-farm moratorium this year. LaPorte County officials are drafting one. And Marshall County officials are considering one. 

A resolution seeking a one-year moratorium failed Tuesday in the St. Joseph County Council by a 4-5 vote. Sponsors like council member Amy Drake said it would have given the county more time to explore the possible impacts of solar projects.

What are the extra restrictions that the council is seeking and that are still pending?

The council voted unanimously to ask the county’s Area Plan Commission to draft the following. If the APC does so, the council would have to approve them:

∎ One added requirement would call for solar panels to be at least 500 feet from a “non-participating” neighbor’s home, up from 250 feet setback that the council approved Tuesday. The panels would also have to be at least 150 feet from that neighbor’s property line.   

∎ The panels would also have to be at least 150 feet from a property that is zoned or used for agriculture.

∎ The panels would also have to be at least 500 feet from any public or private park or nature preserve.

∎ A fully landscaped buffer would be required along the property line of residential properties, parks and nature preserves.

∎ The solar project manager would have to repair any damage that the solar installation might cause to waterways, ditches and drainage tiles. Solar farms would also be subject to oversight by the county’s drainage board.

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 5 things to know about solar farms with St. Joseph County restrictions