HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/11/2024 - Energy Right - Solar RecommendationsEnergy Right Solar
Recommendations
Roanoke County Presentation
Skyler Zunk, CEO
Chloe Hodges, Deputy Director of External Affairs
Ben Wilson, Community Outreach Representative*
June 11, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
01
Why Solar?
ECONOMY
02
The Economics of Solar
LOCAL TAX IMPACTS
03
Local Taxation of Solar Projects
MYTH BUSTING
04
Solar Energy Misconceptions
SOLAR ORDINANCE
05
Energy Right Solar
Ordinance
Recommendations
QUESTIONS?
06
Why Solar?
01
Cost Savings, Energy
Independence, Economic
Development, Property
Rights
Why Solar, Why Now?
Grounding the conversation
Why are we seeing these developments proposed now?
Due to advancements in technology, solar cost competitiveness and
increasing energy needs, the timing is ripe for solar development.
Why here? Where do solar projects need to be located?
Solar projects need to be proximite to existing transmission infrastructure
and nearby consumers of energy.
How much solar is needed?
It depends.
Virginia needs to produce more energy to be energy independent from
neighbor states.
The Economics
of Solar
02
Sourcing Local
Goods and Services
Economic
Development
and
Financial
Benefits
Developers and
Engineering,
Procurement, and
Construction companies
(EPCs) should aim to
source goods and
services as local to the
project site as possible.
Solar offers supplemental
income for landowners,
injecting funds into the
economy while preserving
land. Additionally, agrivoltaics,
farming beneath solar, offers a
dual-use approach that
maximizes land utilization and
is growing in popularity in
Virginia.
Local
Investment
Local Taxation of
Solar Projects
03
Siting Agreement
Language:
Siting agreements may include conditions to:
●Mitigate impacts of project
●Financial capital for localities to put towards:
●Capital improvement plan
●Current fiscal budget
●Fiscal fund balance policy of the host locality
●Assistance in broadband deployment within
the locality
●Lower taxes
**Can also be accomplished via voluntary payments**
Tax Revenue Breakdown
Project size 2024-26 2026-30 2031-35 2036-40 2041—
1MW $1,400.00 $1,540.00 $1,694.00 $1,863.40 $2,049.74
5MW $7,000.00 $7,700.00 $8,470.00 $9,317.00 $10,248.70
10MW $14,000.00 $15,400.00 $16,940.00 $18,634.00 $20,497.40
50MW $70,000.00 $77,000.00 $84,700.00 $93,170.00 $10,2487.00
Revenue share totals per year by sample project size
Solar Energy
Misconceptions
04
Common Solar Myths
No impact on property values
Well screened projects have not been shown to affect property values.
Solar panels can be recycled
solar panels can be recycled or repurposed at the end of their useful life.
Solar is safe
Solar projects pose no known health risks. Panels are sealed in tempered
glass, ensuring safety. Panels to not leak or leach materials, even during
severe weather (Virginia Tech study).
Solar does not create heat islands
No, studies have not shown any significant increase in temperatures over
and around a solar facility.
Energy Right Solar
Ordinance
Recommendations
05
Ordinance Recommendations and
Important Considerations
Setbacks and
Buffers
Land Use Best
Practices
Property Lines:
50-100ft
Homes:
100-250ft
Vegetative Buffer
(existing or planted):
25-50ft
Regenerative Ground Cover:
Native Grasses/pollinator species. Should be vetted by
grazers if possible.
Topsoil Retention
When possible, topsoil should remain undisturbed on site to
support the growth of ground cover.
Erosion Control
Erosion control plans should be required, submitted, and
adhered to in order to prevent erosion.
Ordinance Recommendations and
Important Considerations (cont.)
Decommissioning
Solar permits generally last between 30 - 40 years.
-The tech is still usable for non-industrial purposes, or can be recycled.
Decommissioning Plans should state that the utilized land is returned to its original
state or better after the end of the project’s life.
Some form of payment, whether financial surety bond or dedicated fund, should be
required of the owner/developer to cover the decommissioning of the project.
-Decommissioning plans are typically evaluated every 5 years to determine the
accurate market cost of the decommissioning.
**UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center Analysis**
Community
Engagement
-Community members should be well informed
about project proposals, plans
-Community meetings should be held and
advertised to provide a forum for questions
-Important to continually engage neighbors,
community groups, and local leadership as
permitting progresses
06
QUESTIONS FROM
BOARD MEMBERS
CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, and
includes icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik
THANK
YOU!
Skyler@energyrightva.com
Ben@energyrightva.com
Chloe@energyrightva.com
804-223-0125
energyrightva.com