06-04-2018 Council Work Session Packet

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ground-mounted CSES’s to ensure that the owner or operator properly removes the equipment and facilities upon the end of project life or after their useful life. The owner or operator shall decommission the solar panels in the event they are not in use for twelve (12) consecutive months. The plan shall include provisions for the removal of all structures and foundations, the removal of all electrical transmission components, the restoration of soil and vegetation and a soundly-based plan ensuring financial resources will be available to fully decommission the site. The disposal of structures and/or foundations shall meet the requirements of the Chisago County Solid Waste Ordinance. The owner/operator shall provide a current-day decommissioning cost estimate, and shall post a bond, letter of credit or establish an escrow account, including an inflationary escalator, in an amount determined by the County Board, to ensure proper decommissioning. 4) Solar farms: Ground-mount solar energy arrays which are the principal use on the property, that are designed for providing energy to off-site users or export to the wholesale market shall be a permitted use in the Agricultural district, except as otherwise regulated or prohibited in this section. Solar Farms shall be subject to the following: a) Solar Farms which have a generating capacity of 50 megawatts of power or more shall fall under the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. b) Solar Farms shall be located on parcels of land no less than five acres in size. c) Solar Farms which are sited upon a contiguous or aggregate site area footprint larger than 20 acres in size (commonly owned/controlled or not so) shall require a Conditional Use Permit, in accordance with Section E. Conditional Use Permit Requirements. The site area footprint size shall be computed by a determination of the Zoning Administrator. d) Prohibitions: The County prohibits community solar farms within: 1) Shoreland Districts as designated by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Chisago County Shoreland Management Ordinance 2) Six Hundred (600) feet of areas formally designated or protected from development by Federal, State or County agencies as wildlife habitat, wildlife management areas or designated as National Wild and Scenic land or corridor 3) Wetlands to the extent prohibited by the Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act, 4) The Floodplain District. e) All Solar Farm components must meet the setback, height and coverage limitations for the district in which the system is located. f) Power and communication lines. All on-site power and communication lines running between banks of solar panels and buildings shall be buried underground on premise. The Zoning Administrator may grant exemptions to this requirement in instances where shallow bedrock, water courses or other elements of the natural landscape interfere with the ability to bury lines. g) Decommissioning Plan: The owner/operator shall submit a decommissioning plan for ground-mounted CSES’s to ensure that the owner or operator properly removes the equipment and facilities upon the end of project life or after their useful life. The owner or operator shall decommission the solar panels in the event they are not in use for twelve (12) consecutive months. The plan shall include provisions for the removal of all structures and foundations, the removal of all electrical transmission components, the restoration of soil and vegetation and a soundly-based plan ensuring financial resources will be available to fully decommission the site. The disposal of structures and/or foundations shall meet the requirements of the Chisago County Solid Waste Ordinance. The owner/operator shall provide a current-day decommissioning cost estimate, and shall post a bond, letter of credit or establish an escrow account, including an inflationary escalator, in an amount determined by the County Board, to ensure proper decommissioning.