Thinking Solar?

On February 11, 2020 the St. Joseph County Council approved a forward-thinking ordinance to make it easier to develop solar and requires it to be done in a way that benefits the agricultural areas of the County. St. Joseph County is the first county in Indiana and one of the first counties in the United States to require pollinator-friendly solar. Pollinator-friendly solar has many benefits to the County by reducing soil erosion, reintroducing nutrients into the soil, creating habitat for pollinators and wildlife, and makes them aesthetically pleasing. 

By introducing these regulations into our zoning ordinance, making solar easier to develop, and requiring pollinator-friendly solar, St. Joseph County will achieve Gold, the highest ranking, in the US Department of Energy SolSmart program. This will let solar developers across the country know St. Joseph County is one of the best places in the nation to develop solar. Small-scale residential and commercial solar is now substantially easier to implement allowing projects large or small to become a reality.

Interested in solar? The regulations can be found in the Zoning Ordinance. MACOG was a major partner in the development of these regulations and they have great resources that can be found on their MACOG Solar Energy Resources page.