Two more proposed solar installations could be coming to southern Chesapeake, a trend that has been transforming acres of farmland in the city into renewable energy projects.
The Planning Commission recommended approving permits for two installations, a 2-megawatt project and a nearby 5-megawatt one, at its May 10 meeting. The smaller project would occupy a 26.5-acre property on the west side of Long Ridge Road, and the larger installation would be located on 38 acres on the east side of Long Ridge Road.
Both projects would be operated by Apex Clean Energy, a Charlottesville renewable energy company with projects in several states.
A few people at the meeting spoke in opposition to the projects, but several more people, including those who live close to the sites, spoke in favor.
Allen Lester, who lives near the locations, worried about how the projects would affect nearby property values. A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study of 1.8 million home sales near solar farms in six states found that properties within a half-mile of sites resold for, on average, only 1.5% less than those a little farther away.
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Planning commissioners recognized that solar projects are becoming more common in Chesapeake: nine have now been approved by the commission, according to a staff member.
Commission Chair Marc Steiner touched on the dueling priorities in his comments on the project. He said that while solar farms were producing a popular form of renewable energy, the city’s comprehensive plan still calls for promoting agriculture and the farmland many projects are occupying.
“This is a question of land use, right?” Steiner said. “And it’s a difficult one.”
Past opponents of Chesapeake solar farms have also argued that the projects would remove agricultural land and diminish the city’s farming economy.
The Virginia Clean Economy Act, which was signed into law by former Gov. Ralph Northam in 2020, mandates Dominion Energy produce 100% renewable electricity by 2045.
City Council must approve the projects’ permits.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com