Kent County Regional Planning Commissioners got their first look at a conditional use site plan for a proposed renewable solar energy farm during their Sept. 2 meeting in Dover.
The project would be built on a parcel of approximately 148 acres on Carpenters Bridge Road, southwest of ILC Dover. The site is zoned for agricultural use and now is under cultivation,
In proposing the energy farm, developer Bruce Martin of Marlton, N.J., said he had abandoned previously approved plans for a project called Tuscany Estates, a subdivision containing more than 210 homes. Tuscany Estates would have abutted another subdivision, dubbed Autumn Glen.
There was opposition to the plan from Thomas W. Webb, who owns the adjacent Autumn Glen property. Webb argued the solar farm would depreciate the value of his land, which he has been trying to sell.
Webb also argued he has invested tens of thousands of dollars to install sewer lines and make other infrastructure improvements that now either would be negated or would have to be revised if the solar plant were built.
While taking Webb’s concerns into account, the solar farm plan received a generally positive reception from the six commissioners present. Commissioner Richard Maly was not in attendance.
Martin said if approved, the energy farm would consist of 36 stands of panels containing more than 330,000 solar cells. Twenty-three of the panels would be rectangular in shape, while the remainder would be built to conform to the shape of the parcel. The entire site would be surrounded by a 6 foot anchor fence.
The stands would be separated by 20-foot-wide grassed roadways, a point that drew praise from Commissioner Paul Davis after he raised concerns about getting emergency equipment into the site.
The panels would be installed on a series of approximately 5-foot tall aluminum poles, called earth screws, drilled into the ground so that only approximately 18 inches remained above the surface. The site would be planted in clover to avoid problems of having to continually mow under the panels.
The individual solar cells would be manufactured in California, although local labor would be used to landscape the property and to install the panels, Martin said. The solar farm would be unmanned and remotely monitored by computer, requiring no onsite maintenance.
The silicon-based solar cells produce only direct current, almost negating the chance someone could be electrocuted by contacting them, Martin said.
The solar farm would start out by producing 20 megawatts of power, but according to the site plan, eventually could generate up to 40 megawatts, or 40 million watts, of power. Based on an average household usage of 10,000 kilowatt hours annually, the plant conceivably could power up to 400 homes per year.
However, energy derived from the solar farm would not be available locally, but instead would be sold to companies such as Delaware Electric Coop or Delmarva Power, Martin said.
If approved, work on the site could be complete by December 2010.
Commissioners took no vote on the conditional use application, but are scheduled to make a decision on the project at their Thursday, Sept. 9, business meeting. Kent County Levy Court commissioners will hold a public hearing and vote to approve or deny the application at their Tuesday, Sept. 28, meeting.
Email Jeff Brown at jeff.brown@doverpost.com.
