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[Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash][/caption]
Two companies aim to build solar farms in the Hartwood and Falmouth districts in Stafford County.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission held a joint meeting to hear details on the proposals. Members of both bodies had concerns about the facilities based on issues at other solar farms.
The first facility, Enon Road Solar Farm LLC, a project of Florida-based company EsaSolar, would sit on about 16 acres off of Enon Road and Truslow roads, according to documents provided by Stafford County, generating enough electricity to power about 600 homes.
The website for the Enon Road facility offers a timeline where key events are tentatively scheduled to move the project forward. The project's applicants hope the county will approve the development this year to enter an Interconnection Agreement with Dominion Energy as part of its Shared Solar Program, an electrical subsidy program for the poor.
If approved, The Enon Road project developers hope to begin construction of the facility in 2024.
Another company, Kinglet Solar Farm LLC, has also applied to the county to build a 44-acre facility that would generate power for 660 homes and sit off Truslow Road near Interstate 95. This facility would also be part of Dominion Power's Shared Solar Program.
The plans for Kinglet's facility are in their early stages. No company did not include a construction timeline in its plans.
Board of Supervisors members expressed concerns regarding potential hazards that could affect the solar facilities. Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor Tinesha Allen said stormwater runoff could make the ground beneath the solar collectors softer and endanger the soil integrity.
Applicants said that building retaining walls that could prevent stormwater runoff from the collectors is a possible solution. A stormwater retention area is marked in the concept plans for the Enon Road facility.
Elected leaders are also concerned about the fire risk, specifically with the facilities' storage batteries. Stafford County Administrator Randy Vosberg said fire suppressant technology would be installed in the storage batteries. According to Vosberg, this has become a standard practice with solar facilities.
The Enon Road and Kinglet Solar Facilities are not the first time that Stafford County has dealt with the question of solar power. Potomac Local News reported earlier this year an offer to install solar panels on the roof of North Stafford High School.
Nearby Spotsylvania County has also been getting in on solar. Sustainable Power Group constructed a 500-megawatt solar farm in the Wilderness area of the county in 2020. The farm had met resistance from residents since the project was announced in 2017 due to the large amount of land that the farm takes up.
Members of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors plan to send the matter down to the Planning Commission so that a subcommittee can be created to set standards for the facilities.
The Planning Commission will update the Board of Supervisors on the matter at its second January 2023 meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.
