Citizens question safety of solar panel materials
A decision on a $40 million solar energy facility in Deltaville will be before the Middlesex County Planning Commission when it meets tonight, Thursday, April 10, at the Middlesex County Historic Courthouse in Saluda to conduct a public hearing.
The planning commission will also, as part of the hearing, determine if the proposed solar facility is substantially in accord with the Middlesex Comprehensive Plan. The two applications will be together.
KDC Solar Deltaville LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CI Renewables LLC of Baltimore, is seeking a special exception to allow a 20-megawatt utility scale solar energy facility that would cover 77 acres of a 192-acre parcel with about 45,000 solar panels. The parcel, located at 1033 North End Road, Deltaville, is owned by T.H. Crittenden and Son Inc.
“Accord”
The Middlesex Planning Commission determined previously that solar facilities located in the Low Density Rural zoning district, are in “substantial accord” with the Middlesex Comprehensive Plan, which was updated in 2015, states the staff report by Middlesex Planning Director Dave Kretz. His report to the commission also states, “Staff feels that the facility is in ‘substantial accord’ with the comprehensive plan.”
Kretz’s report also recommends “approval” of the special exception with conditions that include screening the solar facility from view, requiring a third-party erosion and sediment control inspector to perform scheduled inspections of the site, during construction, and document and report findings to the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and requests applicant to specify solar panel selection and provide specifications with regard to potential harmful materials the panels may contain.
Preliminary
The planning commission only makes non-binding recommendations to Middlesex supervisors, who will make the final decision on the solar facility.
Kretz also noted that in addition to any special exception requirements or conditions, the project will require major site plan review and approval..
Heavy metals
Several residents of the area oppose the solar facility as indicated by numerous letters sent to the planning commission. The parcel has more than 40 adjoining property owners.
A lengthy letter dated April 2 to the planning commission indicates that heavy metals and “forever” chemicals can be released from solar panels. “The residents of Middlesex County should not have to guess about the risks. Applicants should be required to disclose up front what heavy metals and other chemicals their proposed solar facility will contain and how the panels are constructed (e.g., encapsulated vs. non-encapsulated), so that the community can be informed and have an opportunity to consider the risks. A valid environmental assessment cannot be completed until the details of the solar facility are fully disclosed.” The letter is from Rick Bowman of Saluda, and Deltaville residents Floyd Chapman, Carl Zulick, Laura Howard, and Mark Wendell.
The letter claims that during two public informational meetings in Deltaville last fall, the developer indicated they had not decided on what type solar panels would be used.
Kretz report states, “Hearing statements presented by the developer, in-house research and by information provided by concerned citizens, staff acknowledges that small amounts of hazardous materials may be present in some of the panels that are available on the market today. From staff’s perspective, it would be difficult to quantify potential impacts given the number of variables that would be present in such an evaluation. Assumptions would have to factor in events that could potentially cause damage, standard over-time wear on the panels, damage from other sources, repair response time in the event of a failure, and varying routine inspection schedule times to detect issues and implement repair/replacement. With these unknowns in mind, specifying panels, if available, that reduce or eliminate the possibility of toxic materials leaking onto the ground should be considered. The zoning requirement does have a provision that requires the operator to repair damaged equipment.”
The applicant’s attorney, Timothy O. Trant II, states in his narrative, “The facility owner/operator will post a surety for the removal of the facility panels, inverters and underground and overhead wiring on the site. This decommissioning will occur within six months after the facility’s useful life has ended.”
Second major facility
At 20 megawatts, the Deltaville solar facility would be larger than the 15-megawatt University of Virginia (UVa) Puller Solar Facility located west of Hartfield. Located on 120 acres with about 58,800 solar panels, it opened in November 2018. “Under the terms of the 25-year power purchase agreement with Dominion Energy, UVa owns all electricity output of the facility as well as all associated solar renewable energy credits, carbon benefits, and environmental attributes,” according to a UVa website.
All three Middlesex public schools are powered by solar energy at a discounted rate.
