Energy News Network: Vermont rules spur solar development on landfills, brownfields
A Vermont policy meant to steer solar projects away from undeveloped and agricultural land appears to be working two years after it was implemented.
Solar developers under the rules can earn a premium rate by building smaller projects sited on landfills, sandpits and other less desirable properties.
Since state regulators made the change in July 2017, they’ve received more than 100 applications for projects seeking to qualify for the program.
State officials are now taking input on how they could potentially expand or refine the program to cover factors such as tree clearing and grid congestion.
“We’re seeing much more of these brownfield-to-brightfield kinds of projects,” said Chad Farrell, CEO of solar developer Encore Renewable Energy.