Caroline Delays Action on Solar Projects
From the Free-Lance Star, 27 Jan 2022
This week’s Caroline Board of Supervisors meeting focused on whether to move forward with proposals for solar energy farms in the county.
But after listening to public comments and applicant presentations on two minor solar energy facilities and one major facility, supervisors voted to delay their decision for four months.
Supervisors are faced with making decisions on nine solar farm energy facilities proposed in the county. Action was scheduled to be taken Tuesday on two minor solar projects—Whalebone Solar and Racehorse Solar—which were the subject of public hearings in December and January.
The Whalebone Solar proposal is a minor project located on State Route 2 approximately 3 1/2 miles south of the Spotsylvania County line. It would use 12 1/2 acres of the 30-acre tract and would provide up to 3 megawatts of renewable energy to the REC power grid.
The 145-acre Racehorse Solar project would use 53 acres for panels and equipment. The facility would provide up to 12 megawatts of renewable energy to the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative power grid.
The board also heard public comment on the largest project up for discussion, CC Solar, a proposed solar farm on Paige Road in Woodford just south of Sunshine School Road. It would cover 1,682 acres total and include 655 acres of solar equipment. The land is designated as Rural Preservation in the county’s comprehensive plan.
CC Solar withdrew a request that was to be presented to the board Tuesday that sought an exception to rezone 20 more acres on the north side of Sunshine School Road across from Hobbie Street.
Early at the meeting, the board went into a closed session with the county attorney to discuss legal matters associated with the solar projects.
After returning to open session and receiving presentations and public comment, Port Royal Supervisor Nancy Long, whose district the projects are in, read a prepared motion to delay action until May 10 in order to “provide time to review possible DEQ and EPA water quality discrepancies and any relevant General Assembly action on solar farm projects.”
Some of the residents who spoke during the meeting said they are worried that runoff from the facilities could lead to environmental impacts to their neighboring properties.
“I would like to see you add to the agreement for a water management observation,” David Olge, a resident in Woodford, told the board.
John Burke, who owns the property and is co-applicant for the permit, spoke in favor of the project. “We cannot turn our backs on this new technology opportunity for Caroline,” he said. “This will be a clean, passive technology.”
Essex County Supervisor John Magruger, who is also a forester who manages timber for some of the property owners, spoke at the public hearing and “applauded the due diligence for crafting and adopting ordinances for these facilities,” he said. “Essex County is in the process of doing the same and we are modeling the good work done in Caroline.”
CC Solar is owned by Urban Grid, which was recently purchased by Brookfield Renewable, making Brookfield the largest renewable energy developer in the United States. Urban Grid says its proposed Caroline projects will deliver clean, renewable energy that is reshaping a more diversified electric grid of the future. The company notes that project will use undeveloped or timbered land and generate additional revenue for Caroline without requiring any new county infrastructure.