Solar Expansion Coming To Polk County?

Bartow officials announced plans to consider a change in the Silver planned development along U.S. 98 on the city’s north side to allow a solar farm and to include regulations to guide its development.

The plans will be considered at a public hearing at 6 p.m. Dec. 4.

This comes following an aborted attempts by Tampa Electric to seek changes in Lake Alfred’s development code to allow a solar farm in an area on that city’s north side zoning for residential.

TECO reportedly is still seeking land in Lake Alfred for a solar farm because city officials did agree to amend the city’s development regulations to allow solar farms under certain conditions.

The spread of solar farms represents attempts by Florida’s major electric utilities to diversify their energy portfolio and to rely less on fossil fuels whose combustion has been linked to climate change and sea level rise.

Posted in Group Conservation Issues.