FINDLAY — A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday on a proposal to build a 129.6-megawatt solar energy field across 610 acres in rural Hancock County’s Washington Township north of Arcadia, Ohio.
Starting at 6 p.m., the Ohio Power Siting Board will hear testimony from area residents about the proposed South Branch Solar project at Findlay Elks Lodge No. 75, 900 W. Melrose Ave., Findlay.
Then, at 10 a.m. on June 1, legal arguments are planned at an adjudicatory hearing before a final decision is made. Participation will be allowed for that via telephone or livestream, according to the state board’s latest entry. That hearing will be at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus.
The siting board has recommended approval, but with 50 conditions.
The project area consists of 712 acres, about 102 of which would be used for buffer.
The proposed site is three miles southwest of Fostoria and five miles northeast of Findlay, according to a 166-page application filed by the developer, South Branch Solar LLC.
Large solar panels will be ground-mounted on a tracking rack system if the project is approved.
South Branch Solar LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leeward Renewable Energy LLC of Dallas, which states on its website that it currently has 22 renewable energy facilities across nine states, and is “actively developing new wind, solar, and energy storage projects” across the United States.
When the project was announced to the siting board on June 8, 2021, the developer said it envisioned installing enough solar panels to generate up to 205 megawatts of power.
Planning began in March, 2020, the application states.
Construction could begin as early as this October, with electricity produced in early 2024 for the 13-state regional electric grid operated by PJM Interconnection.
Not everyone supports the project.
In an April 3 email to the siting board, Kelly Conine, Washington Township fiscal officer, said township trustees adopted a resolution last December that asked Hancock County commissioners to “restrict construction of significant wind farms or solar facilities.”
She said the township board is opposed to the South Branch Solar project.
The siting board’s community liaison, Julie Graham-Price, told trustees in an email days earlier how they can get their objections on the record at Wednesday’s hearing. In that same email, she said progress of the South Branch project, Case No. 21-0669-EL-BGN, can be followed on the OPSB website. A link is available at bit.ly/3vLGxYL.
The resolution that trustees passed in December calls for township land to be preserved for agricultural uses and asked for the county’s help in protecting prime farmland because it “is an unrenewable resource.”
Others, such as Al Compaan, University of Toledo distinguished professor emeritus of physics, said the South Branch Solar project is a great opportunity for Hancock County residents and northwest Ohio in general.
“I have been working on solar technology and deployment for over 40 years and can attest to solar being the safest, cleanest, and most cost-effective technology for electric generation,” Mr. Compaan, Toledo Solar Inc. chief technical officer, said in remarks he filed with the siting board.
“We have the technology, the land, the sunshine, and transmission infrastructure to support powering our homes and businesses with solar,” he said. “The good thing about electricity generated from a project like South Branch in Hancock County is that it will be consumed in and around Hancock County by those serviced by the incumbent utility and other utilities connected to the transmission system.”
Rob Kalbouss, Leeward Renewable Energy development manager, said South Branch Solar “is committed to developing a project that the community can be proud of and that’s a win-win for all stakeholders.”
More than $1 million is expected to be generated each year for local taxing authorities, including more than $600,000 a year for the Arcadia Local School District. Construction jobs will have a focus on local hiring, he said.
"The project has been redesigned based on feedback from residents and community leaders from Hancock County, Washington Township, and the Village of Arcadia. This includes reducing the project by approximately 300 acres, adding enhanced vegetative buffers, establishing a robust drain tile management plan, increasing setbacks, and eliminating several offsite electrical collection lines,” Mr. Kalbouss said.
According to the developer’s website, the project will generate enough electricity to power 25,000 homes, and create about 300 jobs.
First Published April 26, 2022, 10:13 p.m.
