By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — The interest in developing solar-powered energy is on fire.

The newly-announced deadline to get approval from the State of Maine for a limited number of solar energy projects has created a sense of urgency. The current environment was expressed by the town manager of one Lake Region community. 

“The State of Maine created a tsunami of solar developers storming the town offices when they created a completion for a certain number of permits for solar projects around the state,” Naples Town Manager John Hawley said recently.

“When the state released the information and the deadline dates, solar developers began putting the pressure on towns to permit projects in order for them to apply for one of these state permits,” Hawley said.

In order for any of these solar energy projects to get a stamp of approval at the state level, it must first be approved at the town level, he said.

But first, in order for the plans to be approved at the town level, the Town of Naples will have to move quickly to create new overlay districts in a few residential zones to allow solar-energy projects.

The Naples Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) Renee Carter and Hawley have had a sit down and have since been in communication with four solar energy firms that are seriously putting into place feasible projects in Naples.

“The issue we’ve come up against is that these solar projects are considered commercial uses and three of these projects are proposed for parcels in our residential districts, therefore making them incompatible,” he said.

After talking to the town attorney, he learned the solar fields are defined as a commercial use.  

One of the really viable proposed projects is slated for the former sand pit off River Road. However, that is located in a residential area. Additionally, when the sand pit was closed it was grandfathered for use as a sand pit only and for no other commercial use.

According to Hawley, “The only thing to do is to figure out a way to allow this to exist.”

Hawley discussed solar energy during the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting last week.

Hawley told the selectmen that he probably did not have to sing the praises of solar power to convince them to support it. Nonetheless, he highlighted some benefits to the town.

“Now, I don’t need to tell you that solar projects are good options for municipalities as they place almost no demand on a community for municipal or educational services. You know, you set them up and they collect the sun. They are good neighbors for the most part…it’s just clean energy,” he said.

“Some of these projects also come with cost saving benefits to municipalities in the form of discounted or free electricity,” he said. 

But there is an obstacle, Hawley repeated.

“The wall that we are up against is that for these projects to get planning board approval in time to meet the application deadline with the state, we would need to create compatible zoning. But, as you know, that is not as simple as just coloring the area on a map and asking voters to approve it. There is a lot of work that goes into this, especially to be ready for a proposal for the April town meeting,” Hawley said.

“We could consider creating an overlay district for a natural energy resource district. Right now, it is solar. But that doesn’t mean it could be wind or thermal,” Hawley said.

He said he was asking for the blessing of the selectmen before the town proceeds with this.

In a tight timeline, the proposed overlay district and accompanying ordinance language would go before the Naples Planning Board and be the subject of two public hearings before becoming a warrant article.

Chairman Jim Grattelo stressed that the natural resource overlay district should be for solar energy. He said that wind energy had too many other factors including the noise and it would be best to focus on solar energy. After getting a verbal consensus from other board members, Grattelo told the town manager to move forward.

Essentially, the town will be creating an overlay district in a residential neighborhood that allows only solar-energy projects, Hawley said.