Solar energy, particularly from the large so-called utility or industrial-scale solar projects that are being proposed for Virginia, is often described as clean energy or green energy or environmentally friendly energy.
Is that really true?
Large-scale solar projects can have a significant impact on the environment, both on the land itself and on the ecological health of the wildlife habitats in those areas. This impact can be quite significant and even permanent. It’s worth weighing all the implications and costs in deciding on large solar projects that are proposed for agricultural or forested land.
Utility-scale solar projects cover thousands of acres of Virginia land with impermeable solar panels. And any impermeable surface will increase the amount of stormwater runoff and erosion during heavy rains.
This is important to consider since 60 percent of Virginia’s land mass lies in the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed. That means any potential for increased stormwater runoff into the Bay is a concern because it risks significantly increasing the amount of sedimentation in the streams flowing into the Bay and ultimately the Bay itself.
Sediment turns water cloudy, harming fish and other wildlife. In the Chesapeake Bay, sedimentation is particularly harmful because it blocks sunlight from reaching aquatic grasses and smothers oysters and other bottom-dwelling species as it settles along the bottom, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Over 220,000 acres in the greater watershed are projected to be covered with solar panels, either from projects already built, those currently under construction, or proposals in the planning phase. Runoff has already been a problem in every large-scale solar installation in Virginia, such as this one in Louisa County (which lies in the watershed).
This map illustrates the projected total amount of acreage envisioned for utility-scale projects by solar developers for the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed.
