Solar permitting — Centre County, Pennsylvania
On file: public meetings, local news.
Penn State University presence creates progressive policy orientation; limited agricultural land near campus;. Permitting: Municipal Planning Board/Zoning Hearing Board: CUP or Special Exception. No county-level… Track record: Kyle…
Key driver: Penn State University presence creates progressive policy orientation; limited agricultural land near campus; rural portions have more opportunity; moderate solar activity
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Municipal Planning Board/Zoning Hearing Board: CUP or Special Exception. No county-level siting authority in PA; each municipality has own zoning ordinance.
Setbacks & buffers
None codified at county level. Municipal (township/borough) setbacks govern. — NOTE: the distances above are a STATE-level fallback, not a figure read from this county's own ordinance. We hold siting-rule records for this county which may include a stricter local limit we have not yet extracted. Verify against the county's own ordinance before relying on these.
Spacing requirements
None codified at county level.
Size restrictions
None codified at county level.
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
Local permit: Conditional Use or Special Exception in agricultural zoning district; governed by PA Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), 53 P.S. §10101 et seq. No statewide preemption of local ordinances — municipalities and counties may restrict or prohibit utility-scale solar without state override. ~5% of PA's 2,559 municipal codes explicitly address grid-scale solar (Penn State Dickinson Law, 2023); most projects require ordinance amendment or variance. No state CPCN requirement for solar. Net metering available under PA Act 35 of 2007. AEPS Act 213 of 2004: ~18% renewable energy standard; no significant solar carve-out.
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
18% by 2021 (8% Tier I, 0.5% solar carve-out) | Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act (Act 213, 2004) | 73 P.S. §1648.1
State incentive programs
PA Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS): 18% Tier I renewable by 2021 (met); no solar-specific carve-out in AEPS — PA's renewable credit market is small vs. NJ/MD. Net metering: PA Act 35 of 2007; net metering for systems up to 5 MW; PPL, PECO, Met-Ed, West Penn, Penelec, Penn Power offer programs. SREC market: very limited; PA SRECs trade at near-floor value. USDA REAP grants and loans: available for rural projects. PACE financing: available in Allegheny, Philadelphia, and other PA counties. Solar not preempted: all PA utility-scale permitting at local zoning level. Utility varies by county: PECO (Philadelphia/SE PA); PPL (eastern/central PA); West Penn Power (FirstEnergy, SW/western PA); Met-Ed (eastern border); Penelec (Allegheny/NW PA areas); Duquesne Light (Allegheny County metro).
Grid & interconnection
PJM / Penn Power (FirstEnergy) transmission zone
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed county BESS ordinance.
BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1
No organized opposition on record for this county yet — no petition, group, or oppositional coverage tracked. Read that as nothing found, not as nothing there: absence of records is not evidence of local support.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- Project track record
- Developer intelligence
- Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
Halo color matches the energy category tagged on each meeting.
- 2026-09-17 County BoardSolar
Centre County approved a contract with Solar Renewable Energy, LLC to replace five inverters at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
- 2026-08-13 OtherSolar
The minutes from the July 9, 2026 BOI meeting were unanimously approved.
- 2026-07-21 Planning CommissionSolar
New Business ● Subdivision/Land Developments ○ Waiver Request 234 Shady Farm Lane Subdivision Twenty-one (21) Lots (20 single-family residential lots and 1 solar facility lot) Walker Township CCPCDO File #102-26 ○ Subdivisions None submitte
- 2026-06-16 Planning CommissionSolar
Fisher Agri-Voltaic Project Final Land Development Plan approved
- 2026-06-09 County BoardSolar
Centre County considers approval of a Solar Energy Power Service Agreement with Centre County Solar Partners Phase 3, LLC.
- 2026-06-09 OtherSolar
The Board approved an agreement with Centre County Solar Partners Phase 3, LLC and revised the budget for lease payments.
- 2026-05-05 County BoardSolar
The Planning Commission approved a final plan submission for a 790-kilowatt solar facility in Centre County.
- 2026-05-05 OtherSolar
The Planning Commission approved a final plan submission for a 790-kilowatt solar facility in Centre County.
- 2026-04-28 County BoardSolar
The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
- 2026-04-21 Planning CommissionSolar
The Centre County Planning Commission approved the waiver request for the Cedar Run Development Twelve solar project.
- 2026-03-24 County BoardSolar
Centre County adopted Resolution 3 of 2026 regarding application fees for solar energy facilities.
- 2026-03-03 County BoardSolar
The Planning Commission approved a Memorandum of Understanding for the MPG Solar Project Land Development.
- 2026-02-24 County BoardSolar
The Planning Commission approved the MPG Solar Project Land Development located in Burnside Township and Snow Shoe Township.
- 2026-02-17 County BoardBESS
The Centre County Planning Commission approved a design services proposal for the Building Energy Storage System at the Community Services Building.
- 2026-02-10 County BoardBESS
Consider approval of a design services proposal for a battery storage system at the Community Services Building.
- 2026-01-20 County BoardSolar
Centre County approved an agreement with Solar Renewable Energy, LLC for a solar energy credit/certificate aggregator.
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
Filter by grade, state, moratorium status, and compliance stringency. Compare counties side by side.