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A 485-megawatt photo voltaic mission in Virginia is operating smoothing as we speak whereas enjoying host to a flock of sheep, creating new alternatives for native farmers whereas pumping out clear kilowatts. The mission virtually died underneath an assault linked to fossil business stakeholders, however persistence paid off. Take that, haters.
New Photo voltaic Undertaking Sparks Fossil Gasoline Hearth
The photo voltaic mission, known as the Spotsylvania Photo voltaic Power Middle, comes underneath the wing of the worldwide vitality agency AES. The mission took form again in 2017 as a proposal with main prospects already lined up for offtake together with Apply, Etsy, Microsoft, and the College of Richmond.
As could also be anticipated, some native residents raised objections to the array. The story blew up wben Fox Information profiled a number of residents who lived close to or adjoining to the mission in an article posted on February 15, 2019 underneath the headline “Massive East Coast solar project generates fury from neighbors.”
That was simply the tip of the oppositional iceberg. On February 26, the renewables-friendly group Power and Coverage posted an article underneath the byline of Dave Anderson that traced the path of conservative lobbying and media organizations, concerned within the dust-up.
Anderson cited “hit pieces” spreading misinformation in regards to the proposed photo voltaic mission revealed by The Heartland Institute, Institute for Power Analysis, Media Analysis Middle, Local weather Depot (a mission of Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow), Every day Caller, and American Spectator amongst others.
Anderson additionally named-checked Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow and the conservative organizations Taxpayer Safety Alliance and Heritage Basis amongst these offering supply materials for the online web page of an area opposition group, Involved Residents of Spotsylvania.
Haters Going To Hate On Proposed Photo voltaic Undertaking
Anderson additionally reported that individuals with ties to anti-solar organizations got here from exterior the neighborhood to testify in opposition to the mission at public hearings. That features Alexandria resident Arthur “Randy” G. Randol III, an affiliate of the local weather skeptic group Engineers for Power and Atmosphere who was additionally the EVP of environmental and authorities affairs for the Texas oil and fuel agency Inexperienced Century Assets on the time of the listening to. Randol beforehand labored for the coal firm Peabody Power and ExxonMobil.
No less than two coverage advisors for Heartland Institute testified at public hearings on the photo voltaic mission together with Fairfax resident Ken Haapala, who’s affiliated with the local weather skeptic group Science and Environmental Coverage Undertaking.
Along with Anderson’s reporting, Kelsey Brugger of E&E Information additionally famous that native opponents of the AES mission obtained help from the influential anti-solar organizer Susan Ralston, a resident of Culpeper with an extended resume in conservative political circles.
Sheep Welcome At New Photo voltaic Undertaking
Ralston went on to type the 501 (c) 4 group Residents for Accountable Photo voltaic, which is credited with advising native residents in opposition to photo voltaic initiatives in different states. Whereas a few of these efforts have succeeded, the Spotsylvania Photo voltaic Power Middle went on to begin building in August of 2019 and started working in September of 2020.
Earlier this week reporter Scott Shenk recapped the motion on the photo voltaic mission for the information group Free Lance-Star. Although Shenk didn’t use the particular time period “agrivoltaic,” the Spotsylvania array now falls into the class of agrivoltaics, an rising agricultural science that leverages rural photo voltaic initiatives to boost rising circumstances for grazing lands, pollinator habitats, and shade-tolerant meals crops (see extra agrivoltaic background right here).
Along with offering farmers with a brand new supply of revenue on their very own land, the agrivoltaic pattern has begun to merge with the neighborhood photo voltaic motion, offering native residents and enterprise house owners with new financial alternatives.
Shenk noticed that factor at work throughout a tour of the Spotsylvania Photo voltaic Power Middle, when he described how the array is now house to a big flock of sheep.
“It turns out that the use of sheep also has spawned some local business opportunities,” Shenk reported, noting that relationship between three native sheep farmers and the photo voltaic mission is a two-way road. The photo voltaic panels present a lush atmosphere for grazing lands in addition to shade for the sheep on scorching days, and the sheep function zero-emission mowers that preserve vegetation from impinging on the photo voltaic panels.
The sheep are rotated from one space to a different, which prevents over-grazing whereas maximizing the advantages to soil well being.
Agrivoltaic Followers Chew Again
CleanTechnica has been spilling loads of ink on agrivoltaics, however Shenk teased out a brand new twist that hasn’t surfaced on our radar but. He famous that use of the photo voltaic mission for grazing has freed up land on the farmers’ property for different makes use of.
Shenk doesn’t specify which different makes use of. When you have any concepts about that, drop us a be aware within the remark thread. The primary thought, although, is that photo voltaic arrays can develop the quantity of land out there to native farmers.
Sheep are the popular livestock for photo voltaic initiatives as a result of they don’t rut or bounce like pigs and goats, and they’re smaller than horses and cattle. The Spotsylvania mission is reportedly wanting on the thought of offering different livestock farmers with entry to a buffer zone of property across the array as effectively.
In the meantime, the case for brand spanking new meals crop alternatives can also be rising. Just a few years in the past CleanTechnica caught wind of a US Division of Agriculture mission aimed toward encouraging photo voltaic builders to make their land out there for lease to new farmers at low value, and the thought appears to have caught on.
In August, the Sahan Journal in Minnesota revealed an article about one such mission underneath the byline of Andrew Hazzard, who profiled a farm-in-a-solar mission created by twin brothers Stephen and Simon Nyairo, who grew up on a farm in Kenya.
“The Nyairo brothers farm 21-foot wide strips of land in a community solar garden developed and run by U.S. Solar, a Minneapolis firm,” Hazzard reported, selecting up on each the neighborhood photo voltaic and the brand new farmer angle.”The corporate partnered with The Meals Group, a nonprofit that runs Large River Farms in Marine on St. Croix, the place rising farmers from world wide like Nyairo develop natural produce.”
“Land access is a huge barrier for emerging farmers,” Hazzard notes, explaining that The Meals Group fees a nominal price of $1.00 per yr for leasing land on the photo voltaic mission.
In the meantime, farmland conservation organizations and farmers are among the many stakeholders teaming as much as beat again the opposition and push extra photo voltaic initiatives by means of the pipeline, so keep tuned for extra on that.
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Photograph (screenshot): An enormous photo voltaic mission in Virginia serves double obligation as a sheep farm, after surviving firestorm of opposition fueled by misinformation (courtesy of AES through YouTube).
