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The first discussion will take place this month on what would be a massive solar project in Prince Edward County. The proposal, which would be set up on Falkland Road, stretches out over 800 acres, with more than 50% used for panels. 

“That’s 600 acres of panels and a battery storage building that’s six acres under roof,” said Prince Edward County Planner Robert Love. Speaking to the planning commission during their Tuesday, Nov. 19 meeting, Love said the application has officially been filed and looked at by his department. During the board’s December meeting, Love plans to make an official introduction of the plan and its specifics, before asking commission members if they want to send it to a public hearing. There would be 21 different landowners involved in this deal, 

“That application’s been reviewed and we’ll have a report to come,” Love told the commission. 

As it stands, the battery storage component, which would cover six acres by itself, increases the value of the proposed project. County staff estimates that there would be a few million dollars of capital improvement invested up front. It also has the potential to generate more than $150,000 in annual revenue for the county, after a siting agreement has been negotiated. 

To give a comparison, previous solar projects in Prince Edward, especially recent ones, have come nowhere close to this size. The CEP solar projects approved back in July by the Prince Edward supervisors, were 170.8 and 81.2, respectively. Then there was North Branch Solar, which includes 40 acres used on a 147.5 acre piece of land. This one, meanwhile, would be 600 acres used on a piece of land stretching more than 800 acres. It’s also worth pointing out that unlike some of the other solar projects that still need to negotiate or build a substation, this piece of land already has one that connects with Dominion. 

Comparing this massive solar project to others

The financial numbers are significantly higher than recent proposals as well. For CEP Solar, Prince Edward got one-time payments of $120,000 and $75,000. CEP Solar also agreed in that deal to pay $1,400 per megawatt generated for each site annually. That’s $11,200 for the 8 megawatt site and $7,000 for the 5 megawatt site, combined for a total of $18,200 each year coming in. 

While the specifics of a siting agreement haven’t been agreed to yet with the county, the initial report for this Gabriel Solar site on Falkland Road would total more than $150,000 each year, with the potential for a one-time payment of more than $1 million.

When will it come up for discussion? 

The Gabriel Solar project will be officially presented to the Prince Edward Planning Commission during their Tuesday, Dec. 17 meeting. There will be a chance for public comment at the beginning of the meeting.