Hempfield looking to implement solar farm fee

Hempfield officials are looking to implement a solar farm fee.

The fee would make the township more attractive to solar farm projects by putting permit costs in line with other municipalities, said Patrick Karnash, director of planning and zoning. As it stands now, those wanting to build a solar farm in the township are subject to commercial building permits that cost $1 per square foot.

That means permit fees could be “very high” for solar projects due to their size, which can be up to several thousand square feet, Karnash said.

Karnash said he is in the beginning phases of creating the fee and is considering it based on acreage. He is looking at communities across the country to use as a template.

Two solar farm projects are before the township’s planning commission, including a solar farm that will be used to power the Hunker Wastewater Treatment Plant owned by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The project calls for about 11,000 solar panels.

Another was proposed by the Turnpike Commission for a maintenance facility located behind Walmart and Sam’s Club.

“This is something a lot of other towns and a lot of other municipalities have been struggling with as well, so we’re not alone in this,” Karnash said during a supervisor’s meeting this week. “I want to get ahead of it. I don’t want to price us out of projects like this.”