FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – A new solar farm is one step closer to becoming a reality in Franklin County. Last week, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve the project in Union Hall on Jacks Creek Rd., marking a rare win for renewable energy in the area. It’s a move that could bring renewable power to over 500 homes.
Penny Edwards Blue co-owns the land where the project will be located. “I think it’s a big deal for Franklin County and I’m really excited about it,” Edwards Blue said.
The project, developed by Virginia-based company CEP Solar, is not the first of its kind in the region. Southside locations already have solar farms.
Dan Quinn represents the Union Hall District on the Board of Supervisors he also owns a farm near the project site and says it’ll benefit his land and surrounding areas.
“I will be better off with this solar farm with the erosion and sediment control put in place,” Quinn said.
Unlike other renewable energy projects in Franklin County that faced criticism, this one has met far less opposition from the community. Quinn attributes that to the location.
“It’s very isolated and desolated in that area so there aren’t a lot of neighbors,” he said.
The land has been in Penny Edwards Blue’s family for generations. She said it has been a challenge to find a use for the space.
“I have been doing research on what to do with that farmland for a number of years,” she said.
She explored options ranging from crops to housing, but nothing was suitable. Then she heard about solar at a Board of Supervisors meeting, a cause she supports.
“It can help reduce global warming and help us save our planet,” she said.
Upon state approval, the project would take about nine to 12 months to complete. CEP Solar said the project will be entirely financed by private energy infrastructure capital.
The next hurdle for the project is approval by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.