OUTCRIES OVER SOLAR FARMS HAS LEAD TO NEW RULES BEGINNING IN 2026

Many north Caddo residents were unhappy when the 72.5 megawatt Rockin' R Solar Farm was recently constructed in Hosston.

The $82 million project, visible from I-49, is the first utility-scale solar project in Caddo Parish. The 1,000-acre solar farm should generate  electricity to power 20,000 homes. The leased farmland has almost 200,000 panels.

SWEPCO has contracted to purchase the electricity from this facility.

Complaints about solar farms were not limited to Caddo Parish. Many Louisiana rural farmland residents took their concerns to Baton Rouge. As a result Louisiana House Bill 459 was enacted establishing a new permitting framework for large-scale renewable energy infrastructure, including wind, solar, and battery storage systems.

Key points of the bill include:

1. Permit required for any solar generation project with a footprint of 75 acres or more;

2. Proof of financial backing for construction and a plan for dismantling the facility after its useful life required;

3. A 50 feet setback is mandated from the edge of a paved roadway and a 100 feet setback from the ordinary low water mark of navigable waters;

4. For homes a 300 foot setback from the residential property line to the nearest solar device and a vegetative barrier designed to conceal the development from view of adjoining properties;

5. New rules apply to projects that begin construction after Jan. 1, 2026.

6. Older facilities must come into compliance to the extent practicable by Aug. 1. 2027.

Final rules for the new permitting system are to be adopted by the Department of Energy & Natural Resources. This law does not apply to residential solar panels.