Utility Scale Solar

With increasing demand for renewable energy, we are seeing proposals for utility-scale solar developments in most of the localities in the Shenandoah Valley. Since 2019, Alliance staff and board have been working to get it right with solar in the Valley—we envision solar development that complements, not conflicts with, our agriculture and forestry economy.

The Alliance believes scaling up renewable energy can be a significant positive step statewide if properly implemented and can bring economic opportunities for businesses and landowners. Utility-scale proposals are more likely to be successful if they are thoughtfully designed and localities are prepared to thoroughly evaluate and consider the positive and negative impacts in their community.

To help Valley localities stay up-to-date with changing policies and practices for utility-scale solar and related infrastructure, the Alliance updated in 2023 our considerations and guidelines for the development of utility-scale solar.

Download Alliance Guidelines for your Local Staff and Electeds

There are two types of solar energy developments. Utility or large-scale solar generates power to be sold to a utility and fed into the power grid. Distributed solar is used on-site, such as for a business, farm or home. This latter type of solar installation helps meet localized demand and does not require major transmission upgrades.

The Alliance recommends proposals be designed to:

Protect clean water.

Effective erosion control and stormwater management during construction and during the life of the project is key to protecting groundwater and local streams.

Minimize impacts to farm soils.

Here in the Valley, we have some of the finest agricultural soils in the nation. When it’s not feasible for a solar installation to avoid prime agricultural soils, grading, compression and soil disturbance should be minimized so that a site can be used for farming again in the future.

Avoid historic, cultural and scenic resources.

In the wrong location, utility-scale solar installations could run counter to a locality’s pursuit of historic resource protection and tourism associated with historic and scenic assets.

Return sites to pre-construction condition.

Effective decommissioning provisions should be included in all utility-scale solar projects, ensuring that the land can be used for productive agriculture or other use after the life of the contract (generally 25-30 years).

Consider lasting infrastructure impacts.

Will a solar project require new or upgraded transmission lines or substations? The impacts of the new infrastructure should be assessed along with the impacts of the solar project. Local ordinances and comprehensive plans should also be consulted in order to ensure compatible development that is right for each community.

Support continued agriculture or wildlife habitat.

Some utility-scale solar projects allow for continued grazing (generally sheep) or hay in conjunction with the installation, and others use native or pollinator plants, contributing to the farm economy and minimizing the need for extensive herbicide application.

Projects Proposed in our Region

Status Key:

Application in Progress

Application Approved

Application Denied

Application Withdrawn

County	Location	Acreage	Size (MW)	Status	Developer
Augusta	Lyndhurst and Stuarts Draft	1000 acres of panels (on 2600 acres)	125	Motion to deny the SUP passed 4-3 on May 22, 2019	Augusta Solar/Community Energy Solar
Augusta	Greater Stuarts Draft area	560 acres of panels (on 880 acres)	83	Planning Commission voted 4-3 against the project on January 12, 2021 The project application has been withdrawn.	Round Hill Solar LLC & Strata Solar
Augusta	Waynesboro	40 acres of panels (on 90 acres)	5	Board of Zoning Appeals approved Aug 5, 2021	Waynesboro Bridge Solar/Dynamic Energy Systems, LLC
Augusta	Fishersville	12 acres of panels (on 50 acres)	3.88	Board of Zoning Appeals approved Aug 5, 2021	Augusta CSG
Augusta	Churchville	50 acres of panels	3	Application withdrawn prior to public hearing	Buffalo Branch Solar
Augusta	Stuarts Draft	23 acres of panels (on 80 acres)	3	Board of Zoning Appeals approved Nov 4, 2021	Wayne Avenue Solar I / Borrego Solar Systems, Inc.
Augusta	Stuarts Draft	23 acres of panels	3	Application withdrawn prior to public hearing	Wayne Avenue Solar II
Augusta	Beverley Manor/Beery Farm Rd	10 acres of panels (on 90 acres)	1	Board of Zoning Appeals Approved Oct 7, 2021	Shared Solar HoldCo
Augusta	Fishersville	25 acres of panels (on 50 acres)	3	Board of Zoning Approved July 6, 2023	Consolidated Edison Development/Elm Spring Solar I
Augusta	Stuarts Draft	26 acres of panels (on 51 acres)	3	Board of Zoning Denied Oct 5, 2023	Consolidated Edison Development/Shenvalee Solar
Augusta	Fishersville	10 acres of panels (on 24 acres)	2	Board of Zoning Denied Oct 5, 2023	Fishersville Road Solar Farm
Augusta	Fishersville	23 acre project (on 34 acres)	3	Planning Commission Tabled Oct 10, 2023	Wayne Ave (West)/Wayne Ave Solar 2, LLC
Frederick	West of Stephens City	370 acres of panels (on 668.5 acres)	75	Board of Supervisors unanimously approved CUP on July 8th, 2020	Urban Grid & Foxglove Solar LLC
Frederick	Southwest of Stephens City	705 acres of panels (on 1605 acres)	80 – 130	Board of Supervisors unanimously approved CUP on September 23, 2020	Bartonsville Energy Facility (TCE Virginia Development)
Frederick	West of Gore	80 acres of panels (on 326 acres)	20	After Board of Supervisors March 2021 rejection and subsequent successful lawsuit by developer, Planning Commission approved CUP on December 1, 2021	Blue Ridge Energy Holdings LLC
Harrisonburg	Northeast Corner of N Liberty Street & Acorn Dr	10 acres	1.4	In operation Fall 2022	Harrisonburg Electric Commission (HEC)
Page	Near Stanley	340 acres	20	Motion to approve the SUP passed 4-2 on April 2, 2019	Urban Grid
Page	North of Luray	560 acres	100	Motion to approve the SUP failed 3-3 on April 2, 2019 Planning Commission recommended denial of SUP resubmission in March 2022. SUP withdrawn by developer August 2022.	Urban Grid/Cape Solar
Rockingham	South of New Market, near Endless Caverns	149 acres	31.4	A revised third request for SUP was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Dec 8, 2021	Caden Energix LLC
Rockingham	Elkton	18 acres	3	SUP approved by Board of Supervisors Dec 8, 2022	SolAmerica Energy
Rockingham	Elkton	149 acres of panels (on 375 acres)	70	A revised SUP was approved by the Board of Supervisors on March 8, 2023	Knight Solar, LLC
Rockingham	Elkton	19 acres of panels (on 36 acres)	3	SUP denied by Board of Supervisors February 8, 2023 SUP reconsidered by Board of Supervisors and denied again May 10, 2023	Nectar Solar
Rockingham	Dayton	40 acres	3	SUP denied by Board of Supervisors on Feb 23, 2022	Dynamic Energy Systems, LLC
Rockingham	North of Port Republic off of Route 340	150 acres of panels (on 564 acres)	50	SUP approved by Board of Supervisors on Nov, 16 2022	Sun Ridge Solar
Rockingham	Mount Crawford	16 acres of panels (on 58 acres)	4.8	SUP denied by Board of Supervisors on Dec, 14 2022	Solar Star Mount Crawford 1, LLC
Rockingham	South of New Market, near Endless Caverns	24 acres of battery storage (on 244 acres)	200	SUP approved by Board of Supervisors on Dec 14, 2022	Prospect Powers LLC
Rockingham	Keezletown	24 acres of panels (on 41 acres)	5	SUP denied by Board of Supervisors on Dec 14, 2022	Mountain Valley Solar LLC
Shenandoah, Town of Mount Jackson, Phase 1	South of Mount Jackson, property was annexed by the town in 2016	160 acres	15	Town Council approved SUP in 2017; construction ongoing as of April 2021	Energix
Shenandoah, Town of Mount Jackson, Phase 2	South of Mount Jackson, property was annexed by the town in 2016	175 acres	18.9	Town Council approved SUP in October 2018	Energix
Shenandoah, Town of Mount Jackson, Phase 3	South of Mount Jackson, property was annexed by the town in 2016	145 acres	16.2	Town Council approved SUP in October 2018	Energix
Shenandoah, Town of Mount Jackson, Phase 4	South of Mount Jackson, property was annexed by the town in 2016	129 acres	30	Planning Commission will consider SUP in January 2022	Energix
Shenandoah	Mount Jackson	32 acres	3.19	Request for SUP approved by Board of Supervisors Oct 27, 2020	Randolf Solar Partners, LLC
Shenandoah	Edinburg	168 acres	45	Request for SUP tabled by Planning Commission on December 2, 2021	MSolar Industries
Staunton	Bells Lane Ag-Forestal District	59 acres of panels (on 98 acres)	21	City Council Approved June 22, 2023	Oikos Solar System, Inc.
Warren (Town of Front Royal)	West of Marys Shady Lane, South of I-66	75-125 acres of panels (on 179 acres)	unavailable	Special Use Permit Application filed June 8, 2020	Front Royal Limited Partnership
Warren	Front Royal	15 acres	2.5	In operation 2017	American Municipal Power, Inc.

Resources

Related News

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Nov 09, 2023

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Getting it right with solar

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The proposed ordinance includes many of the protective design standards for utility-scale solar development that the Alliance has advocated for