Major solar energy plant proposed for Clarke County
Clarke County may land a major Virginia solar energy project after the Board of Supervisors approved zoning changes to allow solar development in an agricultural zoning district last month.
The Clarke Daily News reports that Chicago-based Cornerstone Power Development sought and won the zoning change in order to build a proposed 20 megawatt solar energy plant on a 145-acre farm in the northwest corner of the county. The proposed solar plant could supply enough electricity to power roughly 20,000 homes.
Cornerstone and Clarke County officials are attracted to the site because of its close proximity to a major local power substation, which would significant ly reduce the cost of transmitting the power generated from the plant to utlities and residents. Clarke County also stands to benefit from local tax revenues generated by the project, which are estimated at around $400,000 for the first year. Projections for tax revenue in subsequent years are harder to predict because they are based on the cost of solar generation equipment and the frequency with which the company will upgrade to newer equipment.
With the zoning hurdle cleared, the company plans to formally submit its application for a special use permit for the project in the near future. Cornerstone says it will directly address concerns raised by County officials about financing for the project and reclamation of the site in the event that it becomes financially unviable. The Clarke County Farm Bureau says it is open to the idea of using the proposed parcel of agricultural land for a solar plant because the land has not been particularly productive or well managed for farming purposes.
