RAISIN TWP. — A proposed solar energy project in Raisin Township received approval Tuesday from the township’s planning commission.
The Beecher Solar project encompasses 827 acres across several parcels of farmland spread roughly between Academy Road on the south and Holloway Road on the north, and Kerr Highway on the east and the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks on the west, according to a map of the project. The photovoltaic panels would be placed in two locations and take up 433 acres.
The planning commission had a public hearing on the project in June. About 50 people attended, with two speaking in favor of the project and two against. The commission then asked the developer, NextEra Energy Resources LLC of Juno Beach, Florida, to address some questions raised during the hearing while it also had its engineering consulting firm, OHM Advisors of Livonia, review the project’s specifications to see if the project meets the township’s solar energy ordinance.
OHM found that the project meets the ordinance’s requirements, planning commission chairman Marcus McNamara said at Tuesday’ that ‘s meeting.
“The applicant also responded appropriately to all the questions that were proposed at the public hearing,” said Dale Witt, the township board’s representative on the commission.
Planning commission members McNamara, Witt and Laura VanSickle voted to approve the conditional use permit and the site plan contingent upon NextEra getting the approvals it needs from other agencies, such as the Lenawee County road commission and drain commissioner’s office and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. There were no “no” votes. Commission members Mike Bartolo and Mark Spohr were absent. McNamara said they had intended to attend the meeting but were unable to be there.
Before an audience of about 15 residents, Stephen Eastridge, senior project manager for NextEra, reviewed the answers to the questions the planning commission asked. First was a question about how much of the land in the project area is enrolled in Michigan’s farmland preservation program known as P.A. 116. He said there are 11 parcels totaling about 640 acres enrolled in P.A. 116 in the entire 827-acre project, with 360 acres within the 433 acres that will be fenced in being in P.A. 116.
Whether the project will be assessed regular property taxes or charged a payment in lieu of taxes will be up to the township board, Eastridge said.
A common concern raised by people opposed to solar projects has been what happens to the photovoltaic panels if they are damaged by hail. Eastridge said the glass in solar panels is like the glass used in vehicle windshields or hurricane windows. He said they may shatter if struck by hail but they won’t break into pieces. He said any parts that are damaged will be removed and replaced with new equipment. The damaged equipment would be stored at an operations and maintenance facility until it can be picked up to be recycled or disposed.
“Due to the construction of the panels, panel parts landing on the ground is a rare occurrence, but if that does happen, we would ensure that no parts are left on the ground,” Eastridge said.
The project won’t impact bird populations, Eastridge said. The project is a low-risk site for bird collisions because solar facilities are stationary.
Solar facilities are not known to have an impact on water quality, so NextEra does not anticipate a need to install monitoring wells, Eastridge said.
“Solar panels are encapsulated from air and moisture between two layers of plastic with a layer of tempered glass and polymer sheet,” he said.
Impacts to regulated wetlands are not expected, he said.
The project has been designed not to interfere with electromagnetic fields or communication signals.
In response to a question about how much wind noise the project will cause, Eastridge said sound modeling shows the project is in compliance with the township’s ordinance, which sets the noise limit at 65 decibels when measured at the property line. According to the National Council on Aging, 65 decibels is similar to a vacuum cleaner or an air conditioning unit.
NextEra will invite the township’s fire department to visit the facility to become familiar with its operations, equipment and layout, Eastridge said. It will be built to meet Michigan’s fire code and will comply with all federal, state and local electrical requirements. In the event of a fire, the inverters can be shut off at the site or remotely.
The landscape buffering plan has been updated since the public hearing in response to comments, Eastridge said. The updated plan includes “additional landscape to ensure a robust buffering of adjacent nonparticipating residences and public roads.”
The buffering will include native Michigan species that will grow 1 to 2 feet per year. If a tree or shrub dies, it will be replaced with a plant that is in compliance with planting standards and the zoning ordinance.
NextEra is working with the drain commission and road commission to ensure the project meets all requirements, Eastridge said. If necessary, it will enter a road use agreement with the road commission.
The electrical collection lines will run underground, he said.
There are no concerns with soil quality at the project site.
The land that does not have panels on it could still be tilled, as could the area around the panels, if there is space, Eastridge said. The electrical lines are buried no less than 4 feet underground.
NextEra is not proposing placing batteries on the site, Eastridge said.
Witt asked how the decommissioning bond would be handled, because both the township and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will require a bond. Eastridge said they are planning to carry two bonds but they are open to a hybrid bond between MDARD and the township.
“We just want to make sure from a township perspective that our residents are covered in case something goes wrong, and we don’t have that crystal ball into the future all the time,” Witt said.
