Solar Projects Progress in Orange, Campbell

Speaking of Dominion Energy Virginia’s commitment to solar (see previous post)…

Apco commits to solar… Appalachian Power Co., Virginia’s second largest electric utility, has signed an agreement to purchase electricity from the 15-megawatt Depot Solar Center in Campbell County as part its shift from coal to renewables. The deal represents the utility’s first commitment to utility-scale solar.

“Appalachian Power is excited to announce the Depot Solar Center as we move forward with the diversification of our generation portfolio,” said President Chris Beam in a press release. “We are pleased that the facility will be built and operated within our service area and provide other benefits that new construction will bring to surrounding communities.”

Depot Solar was developed by Pasadena California-based Coronal Energy, which has a office in Charlottesville. The company will sell the electricity to Apco through a 20-year renewable energy purchase agreement.

Apco selected the project after issuing an RFP in January 2017. The company received 37 proposals. Depot Solar, which will connect to Apco’s grid at the company’s Rustburg substation, is expected to be operational by September 2019.

And Orange County, too… The Orange County board of supervisors approved the county’s first large-scale solar farm, voting unanimously for a special-use permit that will allow a 400-acre, 60-megawatt solar farm to be build along Route 20.

The project, which will produce enough energy to power the equivalent of 10,000 homes, is being developed by Reston-based SolUnesco, according to the Orange County Review. Among the 20 provisions attached to the permit was a requirement to obscure visibility of the facility from Route 20.

The project is expected to bring in $2.2 million to the county in machinery and tools tax revenue over the course of its 30-year life, and bring in an additional $10,000 per year in property tax revenue. Depending on the environmental permitting process, construction is expected to begin by the end of 2018 or early 2019.