BISBEE — In an effort to make the county friendly to renewable energy, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors approved the addition of regulations for solar energy systems and power plants during Tuesday’s meeting.

Planner Michael Turisk presented the new solar energy code. It includes a provision to open the county to the solar power industry, including prime agricultural lands, the San Pedro Watershed Overlay District and avian flyway concentration areas, such as the Sulphur Springs Valley and Whitewater Draw, as agreed to by  Planning and Zoning Commission members in August.

Turisk said, “Because solar energy power plants would be allowed as special uses only, there would be ample opportunity to review solar energy power plant applications, including those for power tower plants. This would provide staff and other agencies the ability to craft mitigation conditions, if needed.”

Commerical-scale solar power plants could be permitted in RU (rural), GB (General Business) in Category D areas only and in LI (Light Industry) and HI (Heavy Industry) zoning districts, he said.

The county would allow solar power towers that use an array of ground-based equipment to concentrate sunlight to a central tower a few hundred feet tall. Birds flying through the array could end up fried, he added. One study over a four-month period counted 70 bird deaths — that’s 210 birds a year.

Right now, commercial-scale solar power plants use less water to produce one megawatt hour than a coal-fired electric plant, according to a chart Turisk provided.

Such plants require flat land in three- to five-mile tracts, low dust and no monsoons, Turisk added.

For the homeowner who wants to add solar power generation on a small scale for onsite use, there are few restrictions, other than that a licensed installer must do the work. There are no screenings required for ground arrays and only minimum setbacks required.

However, ground-mounted arrays become more critical on small lots, he added.

“They can compromise viewsheds,” Turisk said. “But Arizona prevents the prohibition of photovoltaics based upon aesthetics, such as prohibiting ground-mounted arrays in areas visible from the street.”

The county staff is suggesting a citizen review for applicants who want to install ground-mounted arrays on lots that are 9,000 square feet or less in all residential, neighborhood business or general business districts.

Turisk suggested the code be reviewed in a few years to see how it is working.

After Planner Keith Dennis gave his presentation on the new wind power energy code, the supervisors agreed it needed more work and asked that it be brought before them again in October.

The reason for the postponement was to give Dennis time to study the cost of engineering for home wind systems that include the base. When a homeowner purchases a wind turbine, engineering plans for the structure are included in the kit along with a variety of plans for base pad construction. But the Planning and Zoning Department wanted to require engineering plans for the pad construction — an additional, possibly expensive, cost for the homeowner.

The supervisors reasoned that if the setbacks were followed, which are the height of the structure plus 10 feet, was there really a need to tack on an engineering cost to the homeowner?

Passing additional costs to homeowners was not an option in Supervisor Richard Searle’s mind.

“It’s a burden on the residents, and that’s my concern,” Searle said. “This could have unintended consequences. People will be frustrated trying to do something, but now it costs even more.”

Supervisor Pat Call was not willing to give up all county oversight on home wind turbines and suggested looking into Searle’s concerns. The matter could be postponed until those concerns are put to rest.

“We need to be sure the public is aware of potential problems. Maybe we should have a fact sheet that people can sign off on,” suggested Supervisor Ann English.

Highlights

• Solar systems would be allowed on any size parcel and would be exempt from height restrictions.

• Setbacks for arrays or pole-mounted systems would have to comply with minimum setbacks or equal the height of the tallest structure associated with the system, whichever were greater.

• No minimum distances would be required between structures and the system components.

• There would be no requirement for a citizen review on ground-mounted arrays.

• There would be no screening or fencing requirements.