Center for Energy Education urges early community-benefit talks with solar developers

Moseen Lowe, executive director of the Center for Energy Education, told the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2 that rural counties should seek community benefits from solar developers early in the permitting process. "If you don't ask, then you won't get anything," Lowe said, describing both legally binding agreements and informal commitments developers can make to benefit counties.

Lowe said her Halifax County education center was created under a binding agreement in which a solar developer constructed a regional facility in exchange for a community education center. "Behind the building, there is a solar farm," she said. "The commissioners asked for something in return for leasing their land, to solar. So, the agreement was made with the county commissioners and with the solar developers to have an education center for the region."

Lowe recommended that commissioners consider solar projects as economic-development opportunities and negotiate specifics tied to county priorities — workforce training, school programs, repairs to community facilities, event sponsorship and direct investment paid over time. She described a workforce training program run with Edgecombe Community College in which 92 residents were trained for a local project; about "70 some" took jobs, she said. "We trained 92 people, to work on the project. Not all of them were interviewed. Not all of them stepped into the job. I think it ended up being, like, 70 some, but 70 some individuals."

Lowe said most of the Center's funding comes from foundations and that developers often provide training and program dollars, but that counties should be explicit about priorities and include written remedies if commitments are not met. "Decide who best represents the county in these conversations, decide how often you would like to meet with them, and just to have in writing what would happen if the commitments are not met," she said.

Durbin Spel, the county planning director, told commissioners that some recommendations from Lowe and her staff had already been incorporated into a draft revised solar ordinance but cautioned that "we can't put all of it in an ordinance." County staff said nonregulatory agreements can be included in project contracts or negotiated with developers as part of the conditional-permit or voluntary community-benefit process.

The presentation prompted several commissioners to say staff should compile a list of county priorities and pursue early stakeholder outreach when developers approach the county. Lowe offered the Center as a regional resource for workforce training and school programs.

The commissioners did not take formal action on the presentation itself; staff said they would continue to incorporate relevant suggestions into the draft solar ordinance under review.