Solar developers in McHenry County, Illinois, face a new local charge, raising the cost of projects aimed at delivering cleaner energy to nearby communities.
Officials said the fee is meant to pay for transportation review and permit work tied to these projects. Still, any extra expense on renewable energy development can make the move to cheaper, cleaner power more difficult.
Here's what to know
McHenry County has approved a new $7,500 application fee for "administration and implementation of permits related to Power Generation and Energy Storage Facilities such as Solar, Wind, and Energy Storage System sites," according to county records cited by Northwest Herald. The fee took effect Aug. 1.
Officials said the county wants developers to cover the staff costs of working out and carrying out road use agreements for projects located along county-maintained roads.
According to McHenry County Department of Transportation spokesperson Hans Varga, the county expects the $7,500 charge to be enough to cover its review work. Developers will also have to pay for a temporary construction permit and a minor access permit, and Varga said most solar projects fall into that 50-or-fewer-trips-per-day category.
Officials estimated the change could generate about $25,000 a year, but said the total is unpredictable because the department usually receives only two to five power-generation applications annually.
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More background
The fee change arrives amid a longer-running clash between McHenry County and solar development.
County officials have repeatedly expressed frustration over having to approve projects they had previously rejected, including cases in which courts required the county to hold another vote and approve some solar farms.
What's being done?
County leaders said the policy is designed to keep taxpayers from footing the bill for project review, not to stop solar development.
County Engineer Joseph Korpalski told officials, "We do not recoup dollar-for-dollar," while also saying the county could have charged "substantially higher" rates if it had used an hourly billing model.
Transportation committee chair Jim Kearns said the county had been asked to document and justify costs tied specifically to solar and similar energy sites instead of reopening every fee the county charges. Board member Michael Skala questioned whether a broader review would be needed to help defend the fee if it were challenged.
Board member Matt Kunkle also said the fee is meant to recover costs, not discourage renewable energy.
As Kunkle said, "It's not going to slow down the solar at all."
He added, "We're simply doing it to recoup our actual losses from another, yet another state unfunded mandate that we are forced to do this and have no say."
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