Elbert County commissioners approve Sundance Solar project after extended public hearing

Elbert County commissioners approved permit 1041-2024-1310 and special-use review SUR2024-0028 for the proposed Sundance Solar project following a May 2025 hearing marked by public comment and technical testimony about fire risk, battery storage safety, property values and site decommissioning.

Residents and applicants spent the meeting addressing safety and environmental concerns, while county commissioners framed the decision around existing land-use rules and the county’s comprehensive plan. Commissioner Schroeder made the motion to approve the major permit; the roll call recorded Commissioner Buck voting no and Commissioners Schroeder and McDaniel voting aye.

The approvals allow a utility-scale solar facility and associated battery energy storage system (BESS) to connect at an existing substation in Elbert County, subject to the conditions and agreements discussed at the hearing.

Why it matters: The project is sited near an existing substation and is intended to serve local customers; county staff and applicant representatives said proximity to the substation reduces the need for extensive new transmission lines. Opponents raised concerns about long-term maintenance, local emergency response capacity, and impacts to prairie habitat and property values.

Public comment and local concerns Resident (public commenter) urged commissioners to deny the application, citing planning commission recommendations and studies on values and habitat. The commenter said a Berkeley Lab study showed a decline in property values near some large photovoltaic projects and asked commissioners, "Do we want Elbert County to continue to contribute to this fragmentation or do we want to preserve our prairie environment?"

Beverly Durant, identified in the hearing record with a Kiowa-Bennett address, told commissioners: "You were elected and have a duty and a responsibility to protect Elbert County for now and for all of its citizens in the future. Preserve the beauty of our county. Do not let this project go through." Elizabeth Patton, another resident, described a long-term medical condition she attributes to exposure during a car fire and told the board that…