Guidelines for Siting of Utility-Scale Solar Projects

The Conservation Issue

Science has documented that climate change is an existential threat to birds and the major factor in the decline in bird populations over the last five decades. There is an urgent need to increase responsibly-sited utility-scale solar in Pennsylvania’s clean energy portfolio in order to meet state and national goals of 100% clean energy and net zero emissions.

Guide for Siting of Utility-Scale Solar Projects

Lead Contributor: Laura Jackson, Juniata Valley Audubon Society

ADOPTED: January 15, 2023

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to birds and the places they need, now and in the future. The National Audubon Society report, “Survival by Degrees,” identifies 389 species of North American birds at risk of becoming endangered or possibly extinct if the global temperature rises more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology study published in 2019, “Decline of North American Avifauna,” reports that many bird species have suffered serious declines over the period of the last 50 years. The study states that over 2.9 million breeding birds have been lost in the United States and Canada since 1970.

Other threats to birds are not insignificant. These include: predation from outdoor cats; invasive flora and fauna species; nighttime lighting on buildings and other stationary fixtures in the built environment; collisions with glass; transmission lines; wind turbines and communication towers; and pesticides and other toxins.

Counteracting the threat of climate change means not only dramatically reducing carbon emissions, but also doing so in a way that does not cause further harm to birds and their habitats. A guideline for appropriate development comes from the 2021 white paper, “Beyond Carbon-Free: A Purpose Led Renewable Energy Procurement and Development” produced by the National Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy and Level Ten Energy to move the renewable energy industry toward a sustainable and equitable carbon free energy transition. The paper emphasizes the importance of engaging local communities early and often to build a trusting dialogue around the project and community goals, avoid negative community and cultural impacts, and support community needs and benefits while also supporting local workforce development and diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

The Pennsylvania Audubon Council white paper: “Guidelines for Municipalities: Developing Bird-Friendly and Environmentally Responsible Utility Scale Solar” provides broad information on the procedures in play in Pennsylvania, a “home rule” state, in permit requirements for renewable energy projects, including utility-scale solar. Pennsylvania Audubon Chapters are “local everywhere” across the Commonwealth and have a critical role in these local permitting processes.

Chapter Role
Council Role
Audubon Partner Role
Individual/Member Level
Provide information and presentations on the impact of climate change on birds and their habitat. Work through chapter programs, outreach to members and community partners to understand the urgency of the shift to renewable sources of energy and the role of utility scale solar in the matrix of carbon-free options for energy.
Engage the Renewable Energy Committee to identify or create resources that may be useful to chapters. Provide a platform for chapter-to-chapter sharing of information, handouts, and approaches used to reach out to members and groups in the communities they serve.
Keep current with information available from the National Audubon, American Bird Conservancy, Sierra Club, Penn Future, Penn Environment and others to keep current on guidelines.
Community/Municipal Level
Determine if ordinances have been adopted in the counties and municipalities located in your chapter territory. Evaluate their effectiveness. Support the adoption or strengthening of municipal and County ordinances with intelligent guidelines for siting of utility scale solar projects. Support model ordinances in municipal building codes, SALDOs, and other local regulations.
Provide workshops and webinars for our Audubon chapters, Pennsylvania Bird Towns, Environmental Advisory Committees, and others to promote the bird friendly guidelines included in the Pennsylvania Audubon Council Renewable Energy Committee “white paper.”
Share model ordinances, actual ordinances, and best practices that can be adapted, proposed, and adopted at the municipal level (ex. WeConservePA series of model ordinances).
State/Federal Level
Support Federal and State legislation that provide resources and support for renewable energy and bird friendly guidelines for utility scale solar. Serve as local “experts” to ensure that the regulatory agencies of DCNR, DEP, PGC, F&BC, WPC, are effectively informed, involved, and engaged in the permitting and construction of Utility Scale Solar Projects that are located OR are intended to serve your region.
Coordinate efforts to reach out and educate our Pennsylvania General Assembly and Congressional delegations when there are opportunities for education and action on the issue of renewable energy and utility scale solar.
Work with Audubon’s Federal Policy Office and other advocacy organizations to promote support for legislation that supports renewable energy. Support is needed to identify sites amenable for utility scale solar projects.