Solar permitting — Centre County, Pennsylvania
290 indexed meetings (20 energy-related), 1 news item, 1 known opposition group.
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.
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.
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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
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed county BESS ordinance.
Local BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1 1 tracked
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- Sign the Petition Transmission
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Community & board sentiment
- 🔒Governing board
- 🔒Sentiment rollup
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
Halo color = sentiment of the relevant agenda excerpt: green positive, yellow neutral, red negative.
- 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.
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State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
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