A growing demand for sustainable energy generation combined with decreasing equipment costs has created more opportunities for the development of wind and solar energy projects. Wind and solar projects are often located in rural areas and can provide numerous benefits to nearby communities, including lease payments to landowners, tax revenue to fund infrastructure and services, and the creation of both permanent and temporary jobs.
To take advantage of the potential benefits of wind and solar energy, county officials are responsible for enacting siting or zoning standards that help capture the benefits of new development while ensuring projects are built in a way that works best for local communities. One way this can be done is by planning for decommissioning, the process of removing energy infrastructure at the end of its operational life.
