The solar installation would be able to power an estimated 33,000 homes annually if fully built out, according to project developer Gaby Rubio.
“Sloopy Solar is projected to support hundreds of local jobs during peak construction and deliver millions in new tax revenues, landowner lease payments, and project-generated wages and benefits every year,” Rubio said, touting it as “homegrown energy.”.
The proposed project boundary includes 1,600 acres for solar panels, most of it on the far eastern edge of Clark County around the existing railroad line — to the south by Summerford Road, and to the north near London-Plattsburg Road. However, the total acreage may change based on results from studies that are still being conducted.
Project representatives have been in the area to introduce the project to the county, answers questions and collect resident feedback. Invenergy officials sent a letter to area residents in April about the project.
Invenergy said it would use public feedback to work with Clark County and nearby residents to develop a Sloopy Solar project that “works for the company and the community.”
Clark County Commissioner Charles Patterson said county government will not have any say over this project, except the ability to appoint an individual to represent them on the Ohio Power Siting Board during that agency’s oversight of the project.
Commission President Sasha Rittenhouse agreed, saying this project will not be voted on or brought before the board. She said it was in motion before passage of Senate Bill 52 in the fall of 2021, which allows a board of county commissioners to prohibit the construction of utility-scale wind or solar facilities altogether or in certain designated zones in unincorporated areas.
“When a project is exempt from provisions of S.B. 52 it is considered “partially grandfathered. To our knowledge, Project Sloopy is the only proposed project in Clark County that is partially grandfathered,” county commissioners said. “All other utility-scale solar projects would be subject to all S.B. 52 provisions.
In 2022, Clark County Commissioners unanimously rejected a proposal to ban creation of large solar and wind farms in unincorporated parts of the county. This meant property owners in unincorporated areas of Clark County could lease or sell their land for potential large wind and solar facilities if they wish.
So far, no utility-scale solar or wind facilities exist in Clark County.
Invenergy officials said a public information meeting on the Sloopy Solar project will be held in late spring for project developers to introduce themselves, provide more information about the company and the development process.
The community can visit the local project office at 150 W. Mound St. in South Charleston. The team is conducting various studies, including an economic impact report, that they say will further outline the project’s community benefits.
“We will continue to expand our outreach to ensure we consider various perspectives and will make sure we develop a project that works for the community,” Rubio said.
Rubio said Invenergy takes multiple factors into consideration before developing a solar project, including sun irradiance, land sustainability, environmental impact, regulatory requirements, etc.
“Based on these factors, the proximity to the transmission line, and most importantly, interested landowners in the area, we identified Clark County as a place to develop a solar energy facility,” he said.
The project has seven participating landowners and electricity generated at Sloopy Solar is expected be delivered to multiple nearby locations. This project would be 180-megawatts. One megawatt can power hundreds of homes depending on the demand at any given time.
Sloopy Solar will be connected to a transmission line that will carry the electricity through distribution lines to homes and businesses as it travels along power lines, Rubio said. PRM, the grid operator, manages the flow of power from generation to consumers, “ensuring supply and demand are balanced, while maintaining the grid’s stability.”
Utility-scale wind and solar facilities include larger facilities connected to the electrical grid that generate 50 megawatts of energy or more, as well as economically significant wind facilities connected to the grid that generate between five or more megawatts but less than 50 megawatts. It does not address smaller, personal solar projects, such as panels on a household’s roof.
Clark County commissioners created a “Clark County Utility Scale Solar Q&A” sheet to help make this process easier to understand.
The largest solar facilities close to Springfield are the 144-megawatt Clearview Solar, near Shadybowl Speedway in far northwestern Champaign County, and 180-megawatt Madison Fields Solar Farm east of Mechanicsburg in Madison County.
Invenergy is a Midwest-based developer, owner, and operator of sustainable energy solutions that says it aims to help accelerate affordable, reliable and cleaner electricity. It has developed and built three operating facilities in Hardin County, two facilities in construction in Union and Franklin counties, and has two more pending projects with permits approved.
Credit: 68128571c03d7f718255380b
Credit: 68128571c03d7f718255380b
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