Essex County, VT — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

State §248 CPG required (preempts local zoning). No county-level setbacks codified.

Vermont PUC §248 Certificate of Public Good (CPG) required; no separate county permit.

Conservative — very remote; forested; limited solar opportunity

NE VT; Island Pond area; remote Northeast Kingdom; forested; very limited solar land; §248 CPG required; limited market

Stable

Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) issues Certificate of Public Good (CPG) under 30 VSA §248 for all utility-scale energy projects — Vermont has the lowest preemption threshold in the nation (effectively preempts local zoning for virtually all commercial solar). Section 248 Certificate of Public Good: required for any solar facility of sufficient scale. PUC must consider impacts on aesthetics, orderly development, wildlife, primary agricultural soils, and surrounding municipalities. 'Shocking or offensive' aesthetics standard applied by PUC. Act 174 (2016): municipalities/regions that adopt enhanced energy plans receive 'substantial deference' in §248 proceedings — key tool for local influence without blocking. Local governments cannot require separate approvals once CPG is issued, but can participate as formal parties in §248 proceedings. Vermont Agency of Agriculture reviews projects ≥50 kW on agricultural soils; must appear at hearings for projects >500 kW. ISO-NE interconnection required statewide.

Vermont RPS: 75% renewable by 2032; 90% by 2050 (Renewable Energy Standard). Group Net Metering: allows multiple accounts to share credits from a solar array. VT CEDF (Clean Energy Development Fund): grants and loans for solar projects via VDPSMR. Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED): qualifying facility program. VT Green Mountain Power (GMP) solar programs: shared solar, community resilience hubs. Act 174 (2016): municipal/regional energy plans can affect siting approvals. Utility: Green Mountain Power serves most of VT; Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) serves Northeast Kingdom; Washington Electric Coop serves Orange/Washington county area.

Very limited solar development in Essex County (most remote VT county, Northeast Kingdom). Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) serves Essex County. Transmission constraints limit large-scale development. VT PUC §248 Certificate of Public Good required for all utility-scale. No confirmed operational utility-scale projects publicly identified.

No confirmed §248 applications/denials for Essex County. Remote location and transmission limits development.