Lodestar Energy presenters told the Simsbury Sustainability Committee on Wednesday that the company plans a 4.65-megawatt AC fixed-tilt solar array on about 19 acres of a 118-acre property on Nodd Road and expects to file with the Connecticut Siting Council by the end of the month.

The project, on land leased from Simsbury Real Estate Holdings and situated on a former golf course used for disc golf, would be part of the state Shared Clean Energy Facilities (SCF) program. Sam Malone, Lodestar project manager, said the company anticipates the Siting Council’s review to last about six months and that Eversource is studying interconnection; Lodestar expects an interconnection study to conclude in roughly a year.

“The solar will be 4.65 megawatts AC, and it's a fixed tilt system,” Malone said. “We are prepping to submit to them and plan to submit to them, probably end of this month.”

Nut graf: The proposal drew detailed technical and community questions from committee members and residents about visibility from Talcott Mountain’s Heublein Tower, wetlands and floodplain protections, wildlife passage and whether electricity generated will directly serve Simsbury customers. Lodestar and its engineering consultant, VHB, described measures they say are intended to reduce environmental impacts and said the energy produced will be sold to Eversource under the SCF program rather than sold directly to the town.

Project details and environmental safeguards

Lodestar said it will place panels at least 50 feet from Nodd Road, limit tree clearing to about 2.5 acres (noncontiguous), and maintain a 100-foot buffer from wetlands. The company described a pollinator-friendly seed mix, on-site apiary and blueberry plantings at the fence perimeter and said it will conduct soil testing during the project and after decommissioning. Steve Coaches, a professional engineer with VHB, said critical electrical equipment — transformers and inverters — will be sited outside the 100-year floodplain and that grading on the site will be minimal.

“We are maintaining 100 foot buffer from all wetlands,” Malone said. Coaches added that the project will create compensatory storage in locations that currently lie inside the 100-year floodplain and that the design was prepared using the currently adopted FEMA flood maps; he said an updated FEMA map (not yet adopted) would not reach the project’s critical infrastructure.

Wildlife and fencing

Lodestar said it will install an agricultural-style fence with a small 6-inch gap for small wildlife and described plans for a 6–7 foot fence height consistent with code; VHB clarified the electrical-code requirement is generally a 7-foot fence or 6-foot fence with barbed wire. Lodestar said large mammals would be expected to migrate around the fenced area within the larger property, and the team proposed seasonal tree-clearing restrictions and an on-site herpetologist during construction to minimize harm to reptiles and turtles.

Visual, noise and cultural-resource reviews

VHB said the tallest equipment at the site will be roughly 8–9 feet above grade and that the nearest residence is a gun-club-owned property about 500 feet north; other residences are at least about 1,200 feet away. The project team said noise-generating equipment is sited roughly 230 feet from the property line and substantially farther from residences. Lodestar said it has consulted the State Historic Preservation Office and received a concurrence after a cultural-resources review and shovel-test sampling.

Where the electricity goes and local benefits

Committee members asked repeatedly whether Simsbury residents would receive discounted electricity or direct kilowatt-hour deliveries from the array. Jeff Maisel, Lodestar cofounder and Simsbury resident, said the SCF program does not permit selling the site’s output directly to the town. “This shared clean energy facility program does not have a mechanism for us to sell energy. We do not sell it to a town. It goes 100% back to Eversource,” Maisel said. He added: “The electrons will go to everyone's house. It'll go to my house. It'll go to your house.”

Lodestar estimated the town would receive roughly $56,000 annually in a combination of personal and real property taxes from the project; the company said the project’s energy credits will be purchased by Eversource and used to support discounted electricity for low- and moderate-income subscribers across Connecticut under that utility’s program.

Permitting, timeline and public input

Because the project exceeds 2 megawatts, Lodestar will file with the Connecticut Siting Council. The company said the council’s review is iterative and will include interrogatories and opportunities to update plans. Lodestar offered multiple outreach steps: pre-filing notices to abutters, public filing materials available online through the Siting Council, public forums run by the Siting Council, and offered to lead site walks for town officials and boards.

“We've done 11 of these facilities in Connecticut. We like to reach out to the town's planning board, the conservation commission and the board of selectmen,” Maisel said, adding that formal town participation in the Siting Council process is optional.

Questions raised by committee and residents

Committee members and residents pressed the team on: visibility from Heublein Tower, whether the project lies in a FEMA flood zone and how compensatory storage would be implemented, impacts on deer and other large wildlife, whether battery storage would be added, and how the project contributes to the town’s climate goals. Lodestar said battery storage is not incentivized under the current Connecticut program and that adding co-located storage would depend on future legislative or utility programs.

Next steps

Lodestar said it expects to file with the Connecticut Siting Council by the end of the month and will provide application numbers and materials publicly once submitted. The company also offered to send a courtesy copy of final plans to the town’s conservation commission and to host site visits for local officials.

Ending

Committee members thanked the Lodestar team for the presentation and questioned next steps for local engagement. Lodestar said it would remain available for follow-up and that public comment to the Siting Council will be possible once the application is filed.