Union County Assistant Prosecutor Thayne Gray informs residents about the permitting process for the proposed Samsung Richwood Solar Project during the informational meeting at the Leesburg Township Fire Department on Thursday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Ally Lanasa)
Representatives from Samsung C&T Corporation America and HULL emphasized that the proposed solar field near Richwood will not negatively impact farmland it may be built on or adjacent properties during an informational meeting.
The preliminary meeting, held at the Leesburg Township Fire Department on Thursday evening, was arranged by township from Leesburg, Claiborne and Taylor townships.
Union County Commissioner Dave Burke, Engineer Jeff Stauch and Assistant Prosecutor Thayne Gray were also present to address questions from residents.
Attendees raised concern about drainage, decreased property value and community division caused by the project.
The proposed Samsung Richwood Solar Project is planned for 1,200 acres between Magnetic Springs and Richwood. It is currently in the approval process and officials expect to have it online in 2024.
“Solar is relatively new. We got to remember that. There have been studies done so far that there has been no real adverse effect on property values when the solar farms are constructed,” said Chris Simmons, land manager at Samsung C&T. “Remember, these solar farms, while they are there for a long time, they are designed to be removed and go back to farmland.”
He added that Samsung has “guarantees and obligations to our landowners to fully restore the property to farmable conditions.”
“A lot of people say this is prime farmland and you’re taking it up. The whole goal for solar development, renewable energy development, is to make sure that we have a planet farmable for our grandkids and great grandkids,” Simmons said. “So, we know we’re taking farmland out of production, but it’s intended to go back into production at the end of a solar farm’s life. And again, the goal is to maintain a farmable planet.”
Not everyone was on board.
“I appreciate the comment that you want to protect this planet or benefit the planet, but I want to make the comment that we do have a nation and a world that need food, fiber and fuels, and to take significant ag off the table has a very large impact,” said resident Casey Converse. “I would rather feed my family by candlelight than not feed them at all.”
Mark Bonifas, a principal engineer at HULL, added that “when you’re building a solar facility, unlike most other development projects, there is very little earth work.”
HULL is an engineering firm working with Samsung.
He explained that posts for the project are hydraulically driven into the ground. The racks are built onto those, and the solar panels attach to the racks. Some cabling will be trenched, Bonifas said.
Simmons also acknowledged that opposition to solar projects is common everywhere as community members question “why here?”
“The reason Ohio and a lot of these markets are targeted is because we have transmission lines that serve major markets,” Simmons said.
He added that the community benefits from the renewable energy source and tax revenues.
Residents also asked about where the solar panels will be manufactured and how they will be disposed of after decommissioning of the solar field. Samsung officials said at this point in the project, they cannot guarantee specifics of where the panels will be manufactured.
Samsung’s presentation also stated that materials for the solar panels are reportedly nontoxic and does not present a public health or safety risk.
Simmons added that at the end of a solar field’s useful life, which is usually 30 to 40 years, panels can be removed and recycled. Up to 90% of the materials used in the panels, much of which is glass, are recyclable.
“At the end of the lease term, these solar panels themselves will probably be operating at 80% efficiency, rough estimate,” Simmons explained, adding that there is a resale value of panels.
Furthermore, the developer has to submit a detailed decommissioning plan for the Samsung Richwood Solar Project as part of the permitting process. The decommissioning process will be funded by “an irrevocable form of financial security,” according to Samsung’s presentation.
Bonifas assured residents that any drainage issues caused during the decommissioning of the solar field would be repaired.
Responding to a question about the weather’s impact on the solar panels, Simmons said the panels are on single-tilt axis trackers to follow the sun, which will prevent snow from piling up.
Additionally, solar panels will still produce between 10% and 25% of their typical output on cloudy days, Simmons said.
Another concern was that the development of a solar field could lead to a blackout similar to what occurred in Texas in February.
“Those facilities were not built for weather like we have in Ohio, so these facilities that will be built in Ohio will be built for the weather that we have here,” Bonifas said.
According to Samsung’s presentation, power from the Samsung Richwood Solar Project “will be delivered into the local Ohio electrical grid through available transmission lines, helping to diversify the state’s energy portfolio. This is the same pool that supplies all Ohio consumers with electricity, and power generated by the project may be used both locally and transmitted to where it is needed based on demand.”
Bonifas and Simmons also addressed misinformation that the project will increase local electricity prices or raise the temperature locally.
Stauch said some of the drainage concerns in the area will be addressed by planned ditch improvements. He provided an update on behalf of Union County Soil and Water Conservation District about the ditch excavation and improvement of one of the existing ditches on Langstaff Road. The project will likely occur in late 2022 because ditch excavation must take place in dry periods and be timed according to harvest season because of crop damages.
“We’ll have to go through a hearing process. Once the plans are done, we can kind of fine-tune the estimate to make sure we have as accurate an estimate as possible,” Stauch said. “The hearing process will give everybody a chance to see eventually what their … estimated assessments might be if you’re in the watershed, and then the commissioners are tasked with making sure the project will go forward.”
In addition, Stauch spoke on the project’s post-development impact on roads, saying it should be minimal including occasional maintenance traffic and decommissioning traffic.
“We would encourage the townships to enter the same road use agreements that we have,” Stauch said.
Although there will be a lot of trucks for this size project, Bonifas said “all the components for this project can be put on a normal semi.”
The only potential overweight components would be a transformer or electrical equipment for the substations, he added.
Gray said the developer will make a pre-application filing to the Ohio Power Siting Board.
At this stage, an official public hearing will be held, where attendees can ask questions, Gray said.
Then, the developer would file a formal application.
“Those applications are substantial documents,” he explained. “The power siting board staff then has 60 days to review the filings to determine if the … application and supporting materials are … what they call ‘complete.’”
The staff may ask for additional materials at this stage, Gray noted, adding that other local officials will also have the opportunity seek information and comment.
Ultimately, the Power Siting Board will either approve the project or deny it.
Samsung plans to host more informational meetings prior to the formal public hearing required by the board.