by Dennis Dalman
Sartell area residents will have until Sept. 29 to take an online survey to express their opinions about solar power in the city and adjacent townships.
Residents of those townships (Brockway, LeSauk, St. Wendel) are also encouraged to take the survey. The results will be announced sometime in October on the City of Sartell’s website and discussed during a public hearing on solar energy at city hall at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23 as part of a regular council meeting.
The survey of 11 questions invites public feedback concerning a proposed solar ordinance that has been drafted but that will not be finalized until public opinion is taken into account. The ordinance will address factors such as maximum area for solar installations, setbacks, height, and decommissioning requirements, among other restrictions. Decommissioning is a process of removing solar installations and restoring the land to its previous condition once the solar company decides for one reason or another to stop energy production of that solar garden.
To take the survey, go to surveymonkey.com/r/sartellsolar.
And to review the city’s proposed solar ordinance, visit the Sartell city website at sartellmn.com. Scroll down to a box on the left that says “Proposed Solar Ordinance” and click on “Read More.” Once that opens scroll down to “Background” and in the fourth paragraph under “Background,” click on the word “here” (highlighted in blue). Then scroll down to where it says, in bold print, “Proposed Solar Ordinance.”
Background
At the July 23 city council meeting, a moratorium on solar developments that was previously imposed was extended by the council for another three months (until Nov. 8) so city staff and council would have time to review public input and possibly tweak parts of the proposed ordinance before final approval. It is possible a solar moratorium could be extended for up to six months after Nov. 8.
The Sartell Planning Commission and the Sartell City Council both agreed a renewed moratorium is appropriate for public input.
Once a solar ordinance is approved, applications for solar projects can move forward by consideration from the city council. Currently, there is only one solar-garden application pending. It is a request from Enterprise Energy (owner Evan Carlson) and from Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum to install a solar garden on 20 acres of land owned by Fitzthum (Fitzthum Development, owned by Fitzthum and his wife) in north Sartell along 17th Street N.
To avoid a conflict of interest, Fitzthum has stated publicly he will not vote as a city council member on any issue regarding that solar-garden proposal.
That 20-acre parcel of land, formerly part of LeSauk Township, was annexed into the City of Sartell last year because LeSauk Township does not allow for solar-garden projects. The annexation request was submitted by Enterprise Energy and Fitzthum.
Carlson is proposing to lease those 20 acres to install clusters of solar panels that could generate up to two megawatts of electricity, which would be sold to Xcel Energy. That company owns a grid and power lines near that parcel of property. Xcel customers could then, in turn, buy bill credits to use the renewable energy source.
There is one other solar garden in Sartell just off of Pinecone Road N. and 35th Street. That land was also annexed from LeSauk Township to Sartell before the solar development was approved by the city council in October 2016. The facility was completed by its developer, SolarStone, 18 months after council approval. That land is owned by Dorn Fischer, who leases the property to SolarStone for up to a 35-year agreement. The energy produced is fed through Xcel electricity lines near the solar facility.
In addition to the current solar garden, there are solar-panel installations on many homes’ roof tops in Sartell. Just this year, there have so far been 22 roof-top solar applications from city residents. They too can be considered once the ordinance is approved.
In the past, another solar garden had been approved for south Sartell in 2015 on an area north of Heritage Drive between Seventh Avenue S. and Riverside Ave. N. The council approved a conditional-use permit, but the developer, SolarStone changed its mind due to funding changes and permitting issues with the State of Minnesota. Thus, SolarStone let the CUP expire, and the project was never started.
In this overhead shot, the current solar garden can be seen along Pinecone Road N. in Sartell, located near several residential areas. The installation of the many solar panels was done almost 10 years ago.