As Fayette County considers approving industrial-scale solar operations on farmland, more communities in the Commonwealth are considering special zoning ordinances for solar field sites aiming to protect landowners, while supporting the shift to renewable energy.

Ashley Wilmes, executive director of the Kentucky Resources Council, said her organization has developed a model planning and zoning ordinance local officials can use as a resource.

"Our model ordinance offers a menu of options in certain areas," Wilmes explained. "To allow local officials, hopefully with the input from county residents, to select the options that best meet the needs and future land use plans of those communities."

Solar projects in the state are increasing. In Eastern Kentucky, there are plans to turn 7,000 acres of former surface-mine land into a large-scale solar operation crossing several counties. Critics of industrial-scale solar operations on agricultural land said they disrupt local wildlife habitat, contribute to soil erosion and topsoil loss, and could pose a risk to future food production.

Wilmes pointed out land sold for subdivisions or commercial development is permanently lost, while solar energy systems may be a good interim use of land, which can be restored at the end of the solar farm's life, typically about 25 years, and provide alternative sources of income to farmers. She added large-scale solar farms are not the only path forward.

"We need solar energy systems of all sizes and types, from roof-mounted to integrated to ground-mounted systems," Wilmes urged. "To make this shift to clean, reliable and renewable energy."

Daniel Bell, a sheep farmer in Garrard County, said a partnership with the Nashville-based solar developer Silicon Ranch has allowed him to graze his flock of around 300 sheep on the company's solar fields and boost income by growing his herd. He explained sheep are natural grass cutters and help protect solar arrays from debris and damage from mowing.

"We provide them the benefits they need and we benefit as well," Bell noted. "It's just a really great mutual situation, but also a fantastic opportunity for farmers."

Kentucky ranks 45th nationwide for total installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Programs in North Carolina and across the country are bringing energy efficiency to rural customers without breaking the bank.

Known as Inclusive Utility Investments, the programs provide upgrades at low repayment rates so customers do not go into debt and save money on their energy bills.

Roanoke Cooperative in North Carolina has a program called "Upgrade to $ave," which provides the service.

Susan Williams, community services coordinator for the cooperative, said the loan for upgrades is usually paid back over 12 years.

"Although they may have the added amount, the upgrades bring the amount of the bill down to a point where even adding the tariff to the bill, the member-owner still shows savings," Williams explained. "And their home is more energy efficient."

Rural Americans spend up to 40% more on energy than their urban counterparts, according to the Rural Power Coalition. Utilities in 10 states have invested more than $50 million through Inclusive Utility Investments, with a 99% cost-recovery rate.

The Rural Energy Savings Program and other federal programs make the investments possible for electric cooperatives. Williams pointed out the program has big benefits for the region Roanoke Cooperative serves.

"We have probably three of the poorest counties in North Carolina that we service," Williams observed. "We are always looking for ways to make things better for our members."

Williams noted many of the 14,000 member-owners of Roanoke Cooperative live in substandard housing and the cooperative provides free health and safety upgrades. She added energy efficiency lowers Roanoke Cooperative's bill, as well.


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Connecticut groups are rallying today against a natural gas pipeline expansion.

Project Maple would extend Enbridge's natural-gas pipeline stretching from New Jersey to Rhode Island with sections running under Connecticut. Residents' feedback is negative since it would increase statewide energy costs. Gov. Ned Lamont supported natural-gas expansion in his State of the State Address.

Sena Wazer, intern for the Connecticut Chapter of the Sierra Club, said now is not the time for an expansion.

"Right now, we're seeing massive federal rollbacks on climate action and climate progress," Wazer pointed out. "It is really important for our states to step up and to do better. Especially here in New England, many of our states including Connecticut pride themselves on being climate leaders and this is really a step in the wrong direction."

A 2024 Sierra Club report found building up offshore wind energy would save Connecticut residents around $3 a month on their energy bills. While renewable energy projects have higher up-front costs, they lower costs for people in the long run.

If Project Maple does go forward, it will be operational by November 2029. The Sierra Club and other groups are hosting a rally outside Eversource's Hartford headquarters at 3 p.m.

While Connecticut has long been a renewable energy and climate change policy leader, progress on the goals has stagnated in recent years. Wazer feels Lamont's recent recommendation of certain climate bills shows he wants to keep the state's climate goals alive. But she argued he must do more.

"It is not enough to recognize that climate change is impacting us," Wazer contended. "It's also really critical to take action to mitigate the impacts that we are having on climate change."

Reports show Connecticut is behind on achieving its 2030 and 2050 climate goals. The state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said accelerating emission reduction projects would help the state make its goals.

Natural gas is Connecticut's largest energy source, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

On the heels of a regulatory victory, utilities and various energy groups in Minnesota are expressing more optimism about the region's power grid - and its ability to accommodate a diverse set of electricity sources. In late January, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a permit request for the Northland Reliability Project, a new 140-mile transmission line stretching from the Iron Range to the St. Cloud area. Utilities behind the effort say this creates more grid space and ensures reliability as they focus on renewables such as wind and solar.

Rachel Stuckey, executive director of the Minnesota Conservative Energy Forum, says that peace of mind isn't just tied to meeting higher electricity demands.

"If a weather event happens or, God forbid, some kind of cyberattack, that we can either withstand or bounce back from that," she explained.

Her organization favors an "all of the above" approach when it comes to energy sources. Stuckey added that as these grid modernization projects come on board, it's important all voices are heard, including property owners worried about new power lines going up. The Northland project also calls for replacing two 20-mile stretches of existing lines and is scheduled to be ready by 2030.

Amelia Vohs, climate director is with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, which prioritizes non-fossil fuel sources, says the region can't slow down in trying to modernize the power grid because demand keeps accelerating.

"Some of it [comes] from increasingly electrified appliances, or electric vehicles, but especially from the growth of data centers," she said.

Vohs added that creating more room on the grid eases the backlog of clean-energy development waiting to advance, and that while Minnesota has been a leader in trying to meet these challenges, it remains an open question of whether the state has enough transmission proposals coming together to keep pace. At least three other projects are being looked at by Minnesota regulators.


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