Bad things about having solar power in franklin county va

Are solar permits withdrawn in Virginia?

A presentation from the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia, which tracks solar permitting across Virginia, shows that far more local permits for solar facilities have been denied or withdrawn than were approved this year. In some cases, county boards that approve data center development also reject permits for solar farms.

Should data centers override local permit denials for solar projects?

Data centers are making the transition harder, but so is local resistance to building solar. General Assembly members mostly understand the connection, leading to a lively debate in last year’s legislative session over whether to override some local permit denials for solar projects – and if so, how to ensure the localities still have some say.

Can a county board reject a permit for a solar farm?

In some cases, county boards that approve data center development also reject permits for solar farms. Sometimes, it happens even at the same meeting. In an effort to understand this paradox, I watched footage from two county board meetings in Hanover County, one in March of this year and the other in September.

Are there solar panels in the Old Dominion?

However, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state lost almost 2,000 acres of once-productive farmland per week in 2021. Much of that land is now covered in swaths of metal and glass solar panels. In 2015, there were no utility-scale solar arrays in the Old Dominion.

Are solar panels bad for the environment?

And this is all without touching on the potential environmental impact of solar panel production. Although labeled as “clean energy,” solar panels harbor a cocktail of toxic chemicals, including cadmium compounds, silicon tetrachloride, hexafluoroethane and lead. Those solar panels won’t last forever.

Will Surry County build a solar farm in 2021?

In May 2021, Surry County’s Board of Supervisors approved the construction of a 240-megawatt solar farm that spans 1,750 acres across Virginia’s Surry and Isle of Wight counties. Rows and rows of glass and metal panels now span the land I hunted as a child.