Ada County began writing new zoning ordinances in 2020. When that process began, solar energy was not on the county’s radar screen. However, large solar energy projects became a significant focus of the re-write in 2024 when Savion—a renewable energy company—proposed a 250 MW solar project called Powers Butte on the Ada-Canyon county line.
Opponents of Powers Butte organized, framing solar energy as a threat to Ada County’s remaining farmland. The Board of County Commissioners denied the project and instructed county planning staff to address solar energy projects as part of the larger revision of the County’s zoning ordinances.
A draft of the new ordinances proposed to ban solar energy projects on lands classified as “prime farmland” by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. In contrast, residential and commercial developments—which permanently consume countless acres of farmland in Ada County every year—were only “discouraged” on lands classified as prime farmland.
ICL worked with partners tracking this issue to help educate county residents about the proposed ordinances and get them involved. Twenty county residents testified in front of county planning staff and the Board of Commissioners on more than one occasion, encouraging the county not to single out solar and adopt fair ordinances that would allow well-planned solar energy projects to get the green light.
Despite great and well-informed public testimony, the Board of Commissioners ultimately adopted even more restrictive ordinances for solar energy projects. The approved ordinances stating, “Solar facilities shall not be located on prime farmland, farmland of statewide importance, and farmland of local importance unless it can be demonstrated that the land is not economically viable for agricultural production through one or more of the following:
- NRCS or qualified soil scientist determination that mapped prime soils on the site are not functioning as prime due to drainage, flooding, salinity, slope, or other limiting conditions.
- Documented crop yields from the parcel, verified through farm records or USDA Risk Management Agency data, show sustained production below 50% of the county average yield for the same crop type over the past five consecutive years.
- A profitability analysis, using state extension service enterprise budgets or equivalent sources, demonstrates that average net returns per acre over the past five years are either negative or more than 25% below benchmark enterprise budgets for the predominant crop(s).
- The soils in question have a productivity rating below the regional benchmark commonly used to identify high value agricultural soils.”
Meanwhile, residential and commercial developments are not subject to the same rigorous process of proving that farmland is unproductive. Farmers that are struggling to survive will have no other alternative than to subdivide and develop their land.
Ada County is not alone in adopting restrictive ordinances for renewable energy projects. Other counties in southern Idaho have adopted moratoriums, bans, or similarly restrictive ordinances. These policies will ultimately drive up electric bills. Energy demand is expected to grow significantly in the coming years due to data centers and to a lesser degree, population growth. While coal and gas plants could be built to meet the demand, it costs more to generate power from coal and gas than wind or solar (not to mention the climate impacts).
If you see an increase in your electric rates, now you’ll know why.
To view the entire zoning code, you can visit the Ada County website. The Solar section begins on page 163.