{"id":3788,"date":"2026-04-14T03:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T03:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=3788"},"modified":"2026-04-17T04:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T04:05:16","slug":"shawnee-county-open-for-business-in-3-0-vote-on-utility-solar-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=3788","title":{"rendered":"Shawnee County \u201cOpen for Business\u201d in 3-0 Vote on Utility Solar & Batteries"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription<\/a> or on Stripe<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

Advocates celebrate public engagement and clean energy benefits of jobs, health, and affordability.<\/strong><\/p>\n

TOPEKA, Kansas \u2014<\/em> Today, the Shawnee County Commission voted 3-0 to approve an ordinance for utility-scale solar that moves beyond their initial moratorium toward a comprehensive, permitting framework, expanding the opportunity for cleaner, cheaper energy sources to be built quickly at a time when energy affordability is top-of-mind for many households.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s solar ordinance not only benefits the community and local ecosystems through important regulations and protections, but it also offers business certainty and investment potential for energy that reduces electricity costs, creates jobs, and provide tax benefits to county residents without burdening them with pollution and health problems\u201d said\u00a0Zack Pistora, Kansas Chapter Director of Sierra Club, who testified in front of County Commissioners<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

After an initial draft of the ordinance by the Shawnee County Planning Commission, local advocates, including local Sierra Club members, League of Women Voters, Climate + Energy Project, AFL-CIO, IBEW, and more, pushed for amendments to expand the size limit on solar installations from 240 to 1000 acres and removed an included prohibition on battery energy storage in favor of updated fire codes. Ultimately, the Board of County Commissioners amended the regulations as they felt a project size of 640 acres was a good place to start.<\/p>\n

Throughout the process Sierra Club and partners fostered engagement between residents and the Shawnee County Planning Commission, who was tasked with writing the proposed ordinance. Local residents, many of whom engaged in the process through testimony and messages to commissioners, credit that public engagement for leading to a stronger final ordinance.<\/p>\n

\u201cShawnee County demonstrated how local governments can create smart regulations to balance both the community\u2019s wide interests and economic ambitions.\u00a0 The county intently studied comparable regulations in neighboring areas, invited public participation throughout the process, and achieved broad community buy-in, which is paramount to any industry\u2019s success.\u00a0 Today\u2019s ordinance will go far to inviting the benefits of solar into the county while ensuring its people and place are respected,\u201d said\u00a0Pistora<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

About the Sierra Club<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sierra Club is America\u2019s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person\u2019s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action.\u00a0For more information, visit\u00a0www.sierraclub.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\n

Sign up for CleanTechnica’s Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott’s in-depth analyses and high level summaries<\/a>, sign up for our daily newsletter<\/a>, and follow us on Google News<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Advertisement<\/bold><\/center><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/center>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day<\/a>. Or sign up for our weekly one on top stories of the week<\/a> if daily is too frequent.<\/em><\/p>\n\n