SALISBURY — For years, Rowan County has been a hospitable location for large solar energy systems.

“We have been a cheap date, so to speak, for solar companies for a while,” said Planning Board Member Karla Foster.

The Rowan County Planning Board took steps to change that on Thursday night during a called meeting. Along with hammering out several rules about the implementation of solar energy systems, the board reached a consensus that the county should adopt decommissioning requirements for such systems.

Decommissioning requirements essentially outline what solar energy companies must do once a solar energy system is no longer in use. Currently, Rowan County is in the minority of counties in the state by not having any requirements for decommissioned solar systems.

The planning board expressed a desire that Rowan’s decommissioning requirements include a timeline for when the system is removed and the land is returned to its normal use and a financial aspect to ensure that the company follows through.

The board agreed that a company would need to give the county 1.25 times the amount that it would cost to remove the solar energy system.

“If an estimate comes back from professional engineer that it would cost a company $100,000 to get rid of (a solar energy system), they would need to give county $125,00 letter of credit or assurance bond,” Rowan County Planning Director Ed Muire said.

Once the system is removed, the county would return the company’s money in full.

The planning board did not reach a conclusion on when a solar energy system would be considered “decommissioned,” but Muire said it would likely be after 360 days of disuse. The decommissioning requirements could not be retroactively applied to solar energy systems already present in the county, but would only apply to new systems.

Muire said that a courtesy hearing will likely be held later this month regarding the decommissioning requirements in order to gain more feedback.

In other meeting business:

• The planning board agreed to expand the definition of a utility-scale solar energy system to state that it is “typically tied to the electric grid to generate power for sale or off-site use.”

• The planning board altered some of the screening requirements it previously agreed to for large solar energy systems that are within 300 feet of a school, residence or church. Instead of requiring 10-foot tall trees to screen a system, the planning board changed the requirement to be a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees that are 4 to 6 feet tall. The alterations to the tree screening requirements were a result of conversations Muire had with the Rowan County Extension Office. The planning board also stated the screening design must be created and approved by a licensed landscape architect.

• Rowan County resident Kathy Webb spoke in support of requiring a maximum acreage allowed for solar energy systems during the public comment portion of the meeting. She also expressed her concern about losing farmland as a result of more solar energy systems coming to the county. Ron Webb echoed her concerns and cautioned the planning board that solar energy systems are causing soil erosion. Pete Bogle, chairman of the planning board, said any solar energy system would still have to be approved by the planning board and county commissioners, who could veto a system that was too large.

• Muire presented the planning board with a list of solar energy system land use plan recommendations. The recommendations, Muire said, would serve as a steering mechanism that would point solar energy companies to the parts of the county where solar energy systems are encouraged and discouraged. The recommendations could also help the planning board and commissioners  properly and accurately evaluate an application for a new solar energy system. The planning board did not discuss the solar energy system land use plan recommendations, but Muire encouraged the members to study and consider them for further discussion at the next meeting.

The conversation about new and improved rules for approving solar energy systems has been ongoing since the Rowan County Board of Commissioners initially implemented a moratorium on large solar farms in October of 2019. Muire said that the planning board is about 95% done with the process.

All of the rules and regulations discussed during the meeting will be further scrutinized by the planning board, which will meet several more times before gathering feedback from citizens. The planning board will then present the proposed changes to commissioners for ultimate approval.