NextEra representative warns proposed Pierce County solar rules could limit development; battery concerns raised and addressed
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Summary
At a public hearing, Jarrett Danials of NextEra Energy Resources told Pierce County commissioners that a proposed 1,000‑foot buffer and a 2% county land cap in a draft solar and battery energy storage ordinance would inhibit solar development; a resident worried battery systems might draw from the grid, and county codes official Chris Bond said the rule would not pull power from the grid.
Pierce County commissioners heard public comment Oct. 7 on a proposed ordinance to set standards for solar energy systems and battery energy storage systems.
Jarrett Danials of NextEra Energy Resources told the board that two elements of the draft ordinance — a 1,000‑foot buffer and a 2% county land cap — would inhibit the growth of solar power in the county. Danials advised commissioners that those restrictions could constrain commercially viable siting of solar projects.
Victor Gonzalez, a resident of Dixon Road in Blackshear, raised a separate concern that battery storage systems, if depleted, might draw power from the grid. Chris Bond, Pierce County codes official, responded during the hearing that the proposed standards would not cause battery systems to pull power from the grid.
The Planning Commission's recommendation for this ordinance is not recorded in the transcript. The hearing record shows these public comments were taken and no formal vote or ordinance adoption is recorded in the transcript.