Acciona is planning to build a large solar farm in Union County. While traditional farming is difficult, the company will seed the land with hopes that it can be used for other agricultural purposes. Above, sheep graze this Acciona facility, south of Pamplona in Spain. Company officials said they hope to do the same thing at the local facility. (Photo submitted)
Some residents oppose energy operation that would pump millions into local tax coffers
York and Washington townships already have a variety of farms — beans, corn, dairy and beef.
But they could soon be getting a solar farm and with it an estimated $2-million in local taxes.
Acciona Energy USA Global LLC, (AEUG) a global renewable energy and infrastructure company, has filed for permission to construct an up to 325 MW solar powered electric generating facility on about 3,500 acres near the intersection of state routes 31 and 739.
Construction of the facility is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022. Company officials said it could be scheduled to be in service by the first quarter of 2023.
Rafael Esteban, CEO of the Acciona Energy division for North America said energy produced can either be sold to power suppliers or sold to a private company for use.
He wouldn’t name the company, but said Acciona already has a power purchase agreement with a “pretty local” large company, with a renewable energy target and an environmental commitment.
David Jakubiak, with Acciona, said the company has not selected a specific panel for the project yet, but they are about seven feet long by about three and a half feet tall. Esteban said he doesn’t know the exact number of panels but there will be “hundreds of thousands.”
Esteban said once the company surveys the soil on the land, decisions will be made about the exact panels and the best way to install them.
Esteban said even with a buyer, “everything has to be totally aligned” to build a solar power plant. He said it starts with “a feeling” in and about the community.
“We are not here to fight against the community,” Esteban said.
He said the conditions in Union County are right for a solar farm. He said the land is flat, close to needed infrastructure and Ohio and the community are open to new technology and ideas.
“I think it is a positive,” Esteban said, “I think it is a promising beginning.”
Esteban said it typically “takes years” to plan and build a solar facility. He said Acciona has “already secured the land” for the farm, which means the company is well through the process. Acciona has also asked the Ohio Power Sitting Board (OPSB) to expedite the approval process.
He said the company is looking at local regulations, “to be sure we are able to conform to the county requirements and that they are happy.”
The company does not need to worry about local zoning regulations. The Ohio Revised Code provides a general exemption from local zoning for major utility facilities so local zoning does not apply to a facility that holds an OPSB certificate.
While the company is working to make sure officials are happy, it is also working to make the neighbors happy.
“At the end, they are hosting us and we need to be sure we are good neighbors,” Esteban said.
He said the company will be in the community for the next 30 years at least.
“We are looking at the longer-term view,” Esteban said. “We want to make sure our plant is efficient and well done.”
Wayne Dellinger, Union County Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said farmers need to look at the long term as well. Dellinger said energy companies are offering rental rates of up to $1,000 per acre.
“Over the course of a solar project, the landowner may be asked to sign multiple types of agreements,” Dellinger wrote. “Landowners will likely be approached with a letter of intent, then proceed to an option, and ultimately enter into a lease. Most leases commit farmland to solar energy for a 30-year period.”
He added that signing a 30-year lease with a solar company can impact a farmer’s family and land.
“It is important for landowners to understand the terms of each agreement they are signing,” Dellinger said.
He said each facility has a social impact management plan to support local projects that align with the company priorities of education, sustainability and wellness.
“The most important thing is a real integration with the community,” Esteban said, noting that Acciona wants to be such a part of the community that residents and leaders can’t imagine it not being there.
He explained that often when projects have reached their conclusion, “everyone wants us to renew and do it again with new technology.”
Even so, not everyone is in favor of the project.
“I don’t want to look out my window and see solar panels,” said John Crate, a York Township resident.
He said some of the panels will be in a field across from his home. He said friends will have the panels on all sides.
“It’s always been farm fields,” Crate said, noting he is not opposed to solar power, he just doesn’t want it in his back yard.
Crate said he fears a “solar panel wasteland.”
Project officials explained that while traditional farming is difficult with the panels, the ground will be seeded with a variety of plants that can be used for other agricultural purposes, specifically mentioning bee keeping and grazing sheep.
Jakubiak said because the panels will track the sun, spacing between the rows is typically twice the height of the panels, so there will be about 15’ between panels.
“This means that the structure themselves take up no more than 30% of the project area, leaving lots of space for potential sheep grazing,” Jakubiak said.
Crate said he wonders about the future. He said that if the company goes under, “I don’t know how a farmer would ever get this cleaned up.”
Esteban said Acciona has been around for more than 100 years and is listed as one of the 35 largest companies in Spain. The company was started as a construction company and transitioned into renewable energy about 30 years ago.
Tracy Stoddard, vice president of business development for Acciona, said land lease agreements include language requiring the company to return the land to its original condition at the end of the project.
Case said he would like to see money put into an escrow account to make sure that happens.
Bruce Davis, a York Township Trustee, said the board has not discussed an official position on the solar farm, but said the trustees are, “(for) strong property rights, so as long as it isn’t illegal or immoral, you have the right to do with your property what you like.”
“I understand that there is always a bit of nervousness,” Davis said. “People don’t like change and they are afraid when there is change. I am one of them, but as a township trustee, we have to treat everyone with respect.”
Davis said he has a couple concerns. The most pressing is protecting the roads during the year-long construction process.
“As you know, those roads are our responsibility to maintain,” Davis said.
He added that once the panels were in place he would anticipate, “only light traffic, maybe an occasional pick-up truck.”
Esteban acknowledged that the year of construction is difficult, but after that there is “minimal traffic, minimal noise, minimal movement.”
“It does not make a difference in the way the people live their normal life,” Esteban said.
Originally, Case said he and neighbors would be more in favor of the project if the power were used in the community. He changed that opinion when he learned the power would be purchased by a local company for local use.
That’s part of the problem, Case said. He said neighbors don’t know much about the project or the company. He said Acciona has been securing agreements for a while, but neighbors didn’t learn the scope of the project until they received a packet from an attorney detailing the plan.
Esteban knows there is “a lot of explaining that needs to happen.”
He said he knows that when the company comes to any community, there will be people who do not understand the project or oppose it.
“There is always people who don’t like it so we have to explain what we are doing,” Esteban said.
He said that one of the most tangible benefits to the community will be about $2 million in taxes paid each year. Esteban said about half that money will go to the North Union School District. Much of the rest will go to the townships.
Davis said the trustees are trying to educate themselves about the taxing structure for a utility provider.
“We need to make sure we understand it,” he said, adding that the trustees, “want to make sure the township would be made whole.”
Union County Auditor Andrea Weaver said she could not confirm or dispute the $2 million number.
“I’ve had no conversations with the developer or any of the property owners who have been approached. I have no knowledge about the proposed project,” Weaver wrote.
She said she, like many others, will attend a public Zoom meeting next week.
A web-based virtual public information meeting about the Union Solar Project is scheduled to be held beginning at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday. Following the web-based virtual public meeting, beginning at 7:30 p.m., Acciona will host a phone-based public information meeting.
Additionally, OSU Extension has rescheduled a meeting about solar leases that was canceled in April due to COVID-19. The meeting be held virtually via a Zoom meeting from 6:30 – 9 p.m., Monday, October 12. The meeting is free, but registration is required by October 11.
Acciona is planning to build a solar farm in York and Washington townships in Union County. This solar plant in Minnesota is not an Acciona project, but company officials have said the technology, installation and layout look similar to the one proposed locally. Company officials said they hope to plant a diverse mix of pollinator-friendly native flowers and grasses and host a collection of beehives. (Photo submitted)