Planning commission backs updated solar regulations, allows on-site battery storage under NFPA standards and sets 1,000-acre project cap
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Summary
After extensive public comment, the Shawnee County Planning Commission voted 5–1 to recommend updated solar energy conversion system regulations to the Board of County Commissioners; the recommendation allows battery energy storage systems as part of solar projects if installed pursuant to the most recent NFPA standard, strengthens decommissioning and fire-plan requirements, and sets a 1,000-acre project cap (with variance/waiver provisions).
The Shawnee County Planning Commission voted 5–1 on Feb. 1 to recommend updated solar energy conversion system regulations to the Board of County Commissioners, including three substantive changes: allowing battery energy storage as part of a solar project when installed to the most current National Fire Protection Association standard referenced in the draft, strengthening decommissioning and fire-plan requirements to ensure consistency with applicable laws and industry standards, and setting a maximum project-size cap of 1,000 acres (a change from prior lower caps discussed by the commission).
Joanie (planning staff) presented the revised draft and said staff had copied definitions from a prior moratorium resolution, clarified that batteries would be permitted as part of solar farms if installed pursuant to "NFPA 8 55" (current version referenced in the transcript as 2026) unless county regulations are stricter, and expanded the variance/waiver clause so that the planning commission or the Board of County Commissioners could recommend waivers in addition to applicants. Staff also proposed that decommissioning and reclamation plans must demonstrate consistency with federal, state, and local laws and industry standards.
The public comment period produced a broad range of views: supporters including the League of Women Voters, the Sierra Club chapter, and several engineers urged larger project caps or clarified technical points such as whether the acreage cap refers to fenced/project area or the acreage directly covered by panels. Opponents raised concerns about fire risk, battery toxicity and disposal, insurance impacts and property values, and suggested larger setbacks or outright prohibition of battery storage. For example, Diane Denham (Rural Northern Osage) cited reports of solar farm fires and recommended setbacks of up to 1,640 feet from residences; other speakers, including Jackson Woods, countered that solar panels and batteries are increasingly recyclable and that large projects bring economies of scale.
Commission discussion emphasized the advisory nature of the body: one commissioner explained paragraph 12 (the variance/waiver mechanism) gives the commission and the Board flexibility to weigh evidence on a case-by-case basis. After debate and amendments on the record, a motion to adopt the regulations with the amendment that projects "shall not exceed 1,000 acres" carried in a roll-call vote (Jeanette Johnson — Yes; Terry Robinson — Yes; Chad Gerhardt — No; Rosa Cavazos — Yes; Dan Bryan — Yes; Myron Langritter — Yes). The recommendation, including the battery-storage language and decommissioning requirements, will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for consideration on March 12.
The commission asked staff to post updated documents on the Land Use and Development website and to provide scheduling details for anyone wishing to testify at the Board hearing.