Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Solar topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Developers propose 5‑MW Powhatan Road community solar to support family farm; applicants cite Dominion interconnection and local benefits
Summary
ESA representatives and the landowner presented a 5 MW community-solar special-exception proposal on Powhatan Road (about 24 acres of a 157-acre property). Applicants highlighted buffers, an interconnection agreement with Dominion Energy, decommissioning surety, and a proposed $60,000 community benefit for the local high-school apprenticeship program.
Developers from ESA and landowner Larry Carr presented a 5-megawatt community-solar special-exception application for a Powhatan Road site to the Planning Commission and answered commissioners’ questions about construction, environmental protections and interconnection. No final action was taken; staff indicated the application will return for further review and a formal public hearing after the applicant updates materials.
Kara Romaine, project development manager with ESA, said the site sits in the James Madison voting precinct on about 157 acres and that the proposed arrays would occupy roughly 24 acres split north and south of Powhatan Road. She described project design elements: panels set back 100 feet from roads and property lines, a 30‑foot‑wide planting buffer with 6‑foot trees at installation, 8‑foot woven‑wire fencing, single‑axis trackers with panel heights about 11 feet at peak tilt, and equipment pads for transformers and inverters located behind the fence to minimize noise and visibility.
"Community solar allows households to receive electricity from Dominion Energy to subscribe to a portion of a local solar project," Romaine said, adding that "those who sign up to community solar save around 10% on their electricity bills." The applicant team said they have an interconnection agreement with Dominion Energy for a nearby three‑phase distribution line; the applicant characterized the study results and interconnection paperwork as favorable and legally binding.
Commissioners questioned potential tree clearing, site grading, vegetation management, pile-driving noise, stormwater runoff, soil testing, emergency access and fire‑department coordination. The applicant said the array footprint is already cleared for farming, that construction will follow natural contours where feasible, and that vegetation will be managed by grazing or mowing with low expected chemical use. On decommissioning, the applicant explained projects are required to post financial assurance (a surety bond sized to estimated removal costs) and to update cost estimates periodically.
The applicant also described a proposed community-benefit agreement: a $60,000 contribution spread over three years to support King George High School’s apprenticeship program. Commissioners asked applicants to provide additional materials at the next submission, including soil and water‑quality testing proposals, Dominion’s interconnection documentation, and proposed conditions on pile‑driving hours to limit disturbance to nearby horses and residents.
What happens next: staff will work with the applicant on follow-up materials and schedule the formal hearing when the application is resubmitted. The Planning Commission did not take a final vote on the special exception at this meeting.
