With more solar farms in the works, West Baton Rouge leaders move to require permits

This giant facility near Rosedale, LA (west of Port Allen) has a ONE employee.

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With more solar farms in the works, West Baton Rouge leaders move to require permits

BY YOUSSEF RDDAD | STAFF WRITER JAN 14, 2021

The Advocate


Solar energy farm builders will now need to submit their plans before building in West Baton Rouge Parish after the parish council approved a measure Thursday that would give them more oversight on those projects.

Parish leaders last month halted solar plant construction because of concerns touching mainly on how the project would impact the parish's aesthetics. The council on Thursday unanimously passed an ordinance that requires companies to seek permits anytime they want to build on land zoned as agricultural.

"We're basically here tonight to protect both the landowner, the developer and the resident," said council member Alan Crowe, whose district includes the area where a newly proposed solar plant would go.

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Because the parish lacked any rules on where a solar farm can be built, developers were not required to submit plans when building on land zoned as agricultural.

The new ordinance also gives the council the ability to set certain rules and require studies or further information for solar projects.

Helios, the company managing Capital Region Solar, said it's planning to build fences to screen the facility and address other public responses it's received.

The parish council also lifted a temporary ban on solar farm construction that it had passed last month.

According to the filing submitted to the Louisiana Economic Development, the latest project is estimated to cost about $240 million, with construction starting in 2022 and finishing at the end of the following year. It’s expected to bring 430 temporary construction jobs and create one permanent position once completed.

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Baby step towards actually controlling some of these hideous facilities that are entirely dependent on tax credits from the state.


Solar far on Rosedale Road (west of Port Allen)

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The company also submitted plans for two similar projects in Pride and East Feliciana Parish.

Solar energy is becoming more prevalent throughout the state, a trend driven largely by a steep price reduction in solar panel material.

Entergy, for example, has increasingly looked to solar power projects to meet rising energy demands. The company seeks to add up to 300 megawatts of solar resources by 2023.

About 25% of electricity Entergy customers receive comes from carbon-free sources, including nuclear, hydroelectric and other sources.

With that trend likely to continue, officials in West Baton Rouge Parish say they had little information or guidance to when Capital Region Solar was built.

District 2 Council Member Chris "Fish" Kershaw said he would like to see the council address specific stipulations at a later date, such as buffers and other requirements for solar farms.

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Full article at the link above.

Solar is clean energy, but it's output/footprint ratio is way too low to be an ideal source of base load generation (not to mention that it doesn't generate anything at night). It takes up way too much space for what it produces.

It really is time for West Baton Rouge to consider itself a suburban parish rather than a rural one. Otherwise out of state companies like this will take advantage of it - occupying vast amount of space and creating almost 0 jobs. We need to make better use of land that doesn't flood in this state.

Solar tax credits provided by the state should be geared towards home and business owners that are willing to add the equipment to buildings, warehouses, etc. where they aren't wasting space.