As the year-long moratorium on solar energy in Iberia Parish is set to be lifted, the heat is on once again for a solar farm set to be built in Iberia Parish that nearby residents want no part of. 

Representatives for Recurrent Energy attended an Iberia Parish Council meeting Wednesday night and held an open event Thursday at the Sliman Theater in order to address concerns from the public regarding a solar farm that the corporation has been working for several years to create. 

When an ordinance setting solar farm regulations came up to the council last year, the parish government was met with a passionate response from residents in the area of the farm that were furious at the idea of an industrial solar project being made without their permission near their homes. 

The council approved a one-year moratorium, which took effect last August and is up for expiration in just two months. 

But even though a year has passed, the issue has not cooled down. The Iberia Parish Council chamber was filled up to capacity, with several people having to listen outside in the lobby while the meeting was going on regarding the solar farm. 

David DeGros, a local resident who has been against the solar installation ever since he found a stake in his backyard, said he had done his research on the matter. 

“No disrespect to Mr. (George) Trappey (the landowner of the proposed solar farm), he doesn’t live here,” Degros said. “One family shouldn’t affect all these families in Iberia Parish.”

The ordinance, which proposes regulations for the establishment of solar plants in Iberia Parish, passed its introduction. That means the ordinance will be published, and come back for a final passage in late July where the final draft will be up for a vote. 

“Over the last five years, we’ve learned a lot about solar development and Recurrent Energy in particular,” Trappey said. “They are a company with high integrity and they have earned our trust. We understand the concerns (of the residents). Reasonable accommodations should be made to address the concerns.”

Thursday afternoon, the Sliman Theater was transformed into an exhibit for solar education, with members of Recurrent Energy setting up different tables to address issues like solar farm  noise, construction and other aspects that local residents have taken up issue with. 

The event went on for three hours, and organizers said it was only the beginning of the corporation engaging with the community to address their concerns. 

With the final ordinance up for adoption in late July, Recurrent is expected to be engaging with community residents in the coming weeks.