Wareham: Ground-zero for large industrial solar in Massachusetts

19 large ground mounted industrial solar in Wareham as of 2022

1,400 more acres of large solar planned

Lithium-ion storage batteries also located at the sites

Zoning Bylaw on solar passed in 2021

On June 12, 2021, Wareham voted to change the Town’s zoning bylaw (Town Meeting Article 17) to limit land based solar to 10 acres or less and only on land that has not been cleared in the last 5 years. When the Town mysteriously postponed Town Meeting delaying a vote on the new bylaw, developers rushed to Town Hall with subdivision plans in an attempt to sidestep the will of the voters. Plans for 1,400 acres of solar are are proposed. 85% of this is AD Makepeace Co. land.

Updates:

BREAKING: June 12, 2021, On Saturday, June 12, 2021, at 11AM at the Decas School, Wareham Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting passed a new solar development bylaw, Article 17! After 5 hours of deliberating, the body voted unanimously to adopt the solar bylaw amendment, which amends the Town of Wareham Zoning Bylaws to limit industrial solar to a lot of 10 acres or less and on land that has already been cleared for 5 years! In Wareham alone, nine new solar projects have been proposed and will threaten 1,400 acres of land and millions of trees. The new amendment of the Zoning Bylaws is a start to placing restrictions on industrial solar companies that often try to take advantage of state subsidies by leading massive deforestation projects to support their ground-mounted solar! This amendment is a great win for preserving the Pine Barrens ecoregion and the 220 unique plants and animals found nowhere else on earth, but the fight is not over.