The town of Mina is in the process of creating a solar development law.

The law is focused on the three different types of solar devices and locations or uses and is being put in place in order to protect the health and safety of town residents. The three types are commercial, residential and agriculture based residential solar energy installations. The commercial installations are for solar panels set to cover more than one-fourth acre of land. Residential is for solar panels that require less than ¼ acre of land, and this also includes the agriculture section, meaning the usage of solar panels for agriculture purposes will also be included in the residential section.

The law also defines a solar device as a small, stand-alone charging device.

“This is very similar to what other communities are doing,” said Rebecca Brumagin, Mina town supervisor. “Its purpose is to differentiate between specific solar devices and their purposes.”

At the moment the law is still in the draft phase.

“It is very close to being finalized,” Brumagin said. “There are some minor questions from those who have attended town meetings that we need responses for. We will be adding those in and discussing them at another meeting. This has been reviewed a few times and will continue to be reviewed still.”

When the law goes into effect, Mina residents may have to wait up to six months when they apply to be able to install solar devices on their land. The law will also focus on regulations for Commercial Solar Energy Facilities and Residential Solar Energy Installations.

Other current issues include looking at the maximum distance between the roof and the panels for roof-mounted panels. The law in the town of Mina currently states 18 inches between but other municipalities require 8 inches between. Property owners will be required to obtain both a building and special use permit. A state environmental quality review still needs to be drafted to support the solar law.