The Marshall County Commissioners were asked to consider a letter of support for a SolSmart designated community.
As explained by Leah Thill from the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), the U.S. Department of Energy is recognizing communities that have taken key steps to become more efficient and making it easier for residents to have solar energy as a local option.
“This initiative that we’re talking about isn’t about the county putting solar on buildings. It’s more about reviewing internal processes first and seeing if there are gaps or if there needs to be clarification in the zoning code about how ground-mounted systems get placed. It’s really about recognizing how efficient permitting actually already is in the county,” said Thill.
Marshall County Plan Director Ralph Booker explained that the county has a permitting process for solar energy farms as well as the Town of Culver and City of Plymouth.
Thill said the process in Marshall County is pretty efficient and it’s just a matter of documentation and being able to highlight, on a regional and national level, that the area can welcome solar business.
Booker said solar projects are picking up in pace.
“It has picked up pace,” said Booker. “The Center at Donaldson – we just did two fairly simple permits out there. They had to go through a Technical Review Committee and that’s no different than many of your other permits. These were medium-type permits. With medium and large we still do a review process, but I think we get them out as quickly as anybody else.”
The commissioners unanimously approved a letter of support for SolSmart on behalf of MACOG.
