The Johnson County Planning Commission has spent more than a year working on regulations for commercial solar facilities. On Tuesday, it will take up the contentious issue again — this time with firm marching orders from county commissioners to make proposed regulations less onerous. The debate on regulations for large and utility-scale solar facilities started in September 2020, when NextEra Energy Resources LLC put forward plans for a $450 million, 320-megawatt solar farm on 1,600-2,500 acres west of Gardner. In addition to solar panels, the NextEra project would include battery storage. County staff worked with Virginia-based Berkeley Group to look at best practices for regulation of utility-scale solar in other areas of the country.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
