MORTON, Ill. (WMBD) — The clouds have parted for the plans of a solar farm in Tazewell County.
In Wednesday’s meeting, the Tazewell County Board approved a special use permit for Unsicker Solar, a commercial solar energy facility, to build a 12-megawatt solar farm on a 50-acre plot of land in Morton.
To put that megawatt number into perspective, one megawatt of power can provide electricity to about 150 homes. The county’s planning department considers this project a “small, residential” one.
The property is a field at the intersection of Unsicker Road and West Birchwood Street.
When the idea first came up last August, then county board chairman David Zimmerman said they were in a “grey legal area.” But the board seems to have changed their minds.Solar farm proposed for Morton denied by Tazewell County Board
Pros and Cons
In the meeting packet, there were 10 positive aspects of the farm listed and only one negative.
Positive aspects of the solar farm include the zoning requirements being met, the distance away from residential property (311 ft.) and it’s preservation of the land itself, with plans to protect the soil underneath with an Agricultural Impact Mitigation agreement.
County Administrator Mike Deluhery spoke about something good solar farms can do.
“We want to make sure we continue to have lower energy prices,” Deluhery said. “That’s an advantage that we have here in the Midwest, and having these solar projects can help by bringing that power to the grid.”
Vegetative screening is also planned, which means planting trees or shrubs for privacy, according to North Carolina State University’s Cooperative Extension.
The only negative listed in the packet is that the plot of land is supposed to be for “industrial uses”, not solar farms.
“It’s limiting the village’s ability to expand,” Deluhery said. “They’ve already spent significant funds leading right up to this property, and so they’re hoping to continue to build up that industrial park, and this took a spot away from their continued growth.”
The farm will be constructed in an A-1 Agriculture Preservation District.
Around 2,000 homes can be powered by the farm.
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