The Lisbon Town Council discussed pausing solar power projects Tuesday. Screenshot
Lisbon has issued a 90-day moratorium on new commercial solar power projects in order to weigh new rules regulating future projects.
The measure was requested by three neighbors of a proposed solar energy project on Frost Hill Avenue, which is currently before the planning board. The pause on solar projects only applies to applications that haven’t yet been deemed complete by the board. It does not apply to the Frost Hill Avenue project.
The moratorium was approved Tuesday by the town council, 5-2.
Town Manager Diane Barnes said the moratorium would impact only one potential applicant that is considering submitting an application.
According to Codes Enforcement Officer Dennis Douglass, that project would be located on Forbes Road, which is off Route 125 in Lisbon Falls. That project is being considered by Solar Provider Group, based in Ontario, Canada. The company wasn’t immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Council Chair Allen Ward said there is clearly a hole in the town’s rules which don’t address solar power.
Councilor Fern Larochelle, who opposed the moratorium along with Councilor Kasie Kolbe, said he wished the town had adopted guidelines for solar projects earlier.
“I think it’s just another perfect example of our town being way behind the scenes and not being ahead of it and actually not being prepared for things that come up,” Larochelle said. “We’re always chasing our tail. We’re never ahead of the curve. I think that’s what puts us in these predicaments.”
Councilor Don Fellows argued that the planning board should be allowed to continue its review and impose conditions on the Frost Hill Avenue project that would address issues raised by the abutters.
One neighbor, Lisa McDougal of Frost Hill Avenue, told the council March 2 that the project will lower the value of her property. Her two-story home would face the solar arrays, she said.
The Frost Hill project was proposed by Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., of Lowell, Mass. Ryan Bailey, the project developer for Borrego Solar, told the planning board on Feb. 11 that the proposed 5-megawatt solar facility would be built on 17 out of 73 acres of the property.
“I think generally we’re supportive of the process Lisbon has taken and we think they’ve been very deliberate and very responsive to neighbor concerns about the project and we’ve done our best to also be responsive,” Bailey said on Wednesday.
Bailey declined to comment on the moratorium the council adopted Tuesday because he hadn’t watched the meeting.
Phil Coupe, a co-founder of ReVision Energy, a Maine renewable energy company, said he isn’t aware of any freezes on commercial solar projects in Maine that have had adverse impacts and that a short-term pause in Lisbon to consider the most responsible way to build solar makes sense.
Councilor Mark Lunt said once the town addresses rules for solar projects, he would also like to see the town consider rules for wind power and other green energy options.
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