A massive 800-MW industrial solar project proposed in Charlotte County has been temporarily deferred. Key points from this article include:
- An outside consulting firm recommended deferral until certain questions about the huge solar array can be resolved.
- Yet another utility-scale solar project is on the table: a 220-MW project that would cover over 2,000 acres.
- The developer, SolUnesco, claims that the project will bring in over $175 million in “labor income and economic output.” (However, consistent with other solar claims, the company fails to provide specific details on how that figure was calculated.)
- One speaker questioned how wetlands, forests, and farmlands will be protected by the county, in light of large solar projects such as these.
- County staff noted that the application would allow the developer to include lands of natural, scenic, agricultural, archaeological or historical significance within the project lines without additional review or approval by the Board.
- The project violates the Charlotte County solar ordinance which calls for no more than 3% of the land area in a given 5-mile radius to be used for utility-scale solar projects.
- The developer does not want to post a bond for decommissioning. (Decommissioning bonds are critical to ensure that the developer is held accountable for removing all panels and restoring the land; otherwise, all these costs fall on county taxpayers.)