Jan. 27—SOMERSET — At a Wednesday public hearing, Town of Somerset officials passed a new law regulating the usage of large-scale solar energy systems. The unanimous vote to approve the law was preceded by comments from the public, most of which were supportive of the law, but hopeful that the issue will be watched regularly by the town board in case revisions need to be made in the future.
The law is an amendment to the town code which clarifies how large-scale solar panels are to be implemented if they are used in the town. These changes include but are not limited to establishing a tier system for solar panels based on size and scale, establishing permit requirements, decommissioning protocols for large scale systems, and several others.
Andrew Reilly, an advisor with Wendel, a company that does planning and engineering for Somerset, said he felt satisfied with the process that the law went through to ensure it was the best possible legislation for all involved.
"We followed the guidance from New York state, we got input from different residents and the agricultural community, we got input from technical experts," Reilly said. "And we developed a law that we had a couple public hearings on, got input on it, and amended it. It even went back to the county to get their input on it, and we think that we have a great law that will serve the purposes of the town."
Somerset is among many towns in the region that are passing laws regulating the usage of large-scale solar panels, as well as batteries used for such systems. Somerset supervisor Jeffery M. Dewart, also stated his satisfaction with the end product, but also indicated it will need to be revisited regularly to make sure it is up to date with the needs of the town.
"I think we got pretty much everything covered in the bill itself right now," said Dewart. "But new things come up with solar and battery storage. We'll look at it every year at least."
Dewart even claimed that other towns in the region have been asking Somerset for advice in crafting their own laws regulating large scale solar energy systems.
The complete text of the law can be found on file at the Somerset town clerk's office, and can be seen by interested persons during business hours, or emailed upon request.