The Hanover County Planning Commission recently recommended against moving forward with a project in the Beaverdam District that would become the largest solar farm in the county.
Though the county broadened its solar policy in October 2023, planners met on July 18 and moved to deny the application of a 1,477-acre development plan submitted by North Carolina-based renewable energy company Strata Clean Energy.
The case will still be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for a final decision; the board is tentatively scheduled to discuss the matter at its Sept. 25 meeting.
Morgan Quicke, Strata’s senior manager of local government affairs, weighed in on the public’s concerns during his presentation to county planners.
“We understand that change in rural areas leads to many unknowns within adjacent communities, and it can lead to apprehension and opposition,” Quicke said. “That’s the reason that we want to be able to have face-to-face conversations with this community and adjust those plans accordingly.”
Strata’s goal is to develop a little under 1,500 acres of privately-owned land adjacent to Caroline County and the North Anna River to build a solar farm capable of powering around 18,000 homes.
Transmission lines have already been raised near the proposed site; they are interconnected with a Rappahannock Electric Cooperative line served by Dominion Energy. According to Quicke, Strata currently maintains 18 solar projects in the commonwealth for Dominion.
Although Strata has not filed for a certificate of public convenience and necessity with the State Corporation Commission, not all solar project applications come through the SCC.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality enables the construction of renewable energy projects through a permit-by-rule process, an SCC spokesperson told VPM News.
The project, dubbed the North Anna River Solar Farm, comprises multiple acres and parcels; an estimated 340 acres will be covered by solar panels. 914 acres of the project will be designated as a conservation area and remain throughout the project's 35-year lifespan.
Strata’s plan also adheres to the county’s guidelines on protecting neighboring residential area viewsheds by reforesting parts of the Beaverdam development and providing 150-foot buffers around the site to dampen any potential sound.
Construction of the project would begin 16 to 18 months after approval; Quicke said developers don’t expect the site to be fully operational until 2028.
Strata Project Manager Laura Wilson told the planning commision the plan was specifically designed to preserve the rural character of the county.
“No other development type that I know of would have so much preserved land and conserved open space,” Wilson said.
Neighboring residents were still apprehensive about the project's size and scope. Strata held five meetings with community members to discuss their concerns over the impact to the environment, recreational amenities and the area’s rural lifestyle.
Those meetings took place from April through July; over 150 notices about the meetings were sent out to residents during that time.
At least 13 residents spoke in opposition to the project’s approval, and several submitted handwritten comments to the commission prior to the meeting. Alicia Wilburn, a Beaverdam resident, said she’s specifically concerned about deforestation and the impact to local wildlife this project could have if approved.
“This is not worth it,” Wilbun told the planning commission. “I did not leave D.C. to be in the backyard of another economic and ecological problem. I urge you to do your duty and protect your citizens and vote ‘No.’”
Beaverdam District residents have been consistent in their opposition to industrial developments since the approval of a large-scale data center at the heart of the 190-square-mile district.
Hanover, which currently is home to 340 acres of solar farms, has passed several ordinances in recent years to attract renewable-energy developers and grow its tax base.
Beaverdam resident Lisa Hancock, an eighth-generation farmer, said the county should prioritize farmland over industry.
“It’s not a farm, it shouldn’t be called a farm, it's an industry,” Hancock said. “It’s too much land to disturb, and I just think the project seems way more destructive than beneficial.”
Despite the opposition, planning commission staff told VPM News that the developers are still interested in having their proposal reviewed — and have indicated that they plan to adjust the proposal to address residents’ concerns.
