Marrow Street Solar Farm

Marrow Street Solar Farm is a 10 acre community solar project in the Town of South Hill.

The project is being developed by ESA. Scroll to the bottom to learn more about us.

Interested in signing up for community solar?

Community solar farms provide energy choice to Virginia residents who are Dominion Energy customers. It's an easy sign up, and there's no need for installations or changes to your property to start saving 10% on your monthly electricity bill. At least 50% of the electricity from the project is reserved for low to moderate income residents.

Click the link below to join the waitlist for subscribing to this project:

The landscape renderings below show the existing site conditions and immediately after construction. Existing vegetation will be preserved, and a medley of evergreens, deciduous trees, shrubs, and pollinator friendly groundcover will be planted where needed to make up the landscaping buffer. Trees are predicted to grow between 2 and 10 feet each year depending on the species. Already existing, mature vegetation will obscure the panels from view.

This section below shows a vertically cut view of the site to illustrate the setbacks at the location and the slope of the terrain on the site. The minimal slope along with the existing and planted vegetation at this location will help to minimize viewshed from surrounding properties.

The project represents an approximately ~$4.68M investment into the Town and is forecasted to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in machine and tools tax, new property tax revenue and contributions to the Town over the life of the project. Key conditions related to a potential approval include:

• Providing a Decommissioning Bond prior to construction to cover the financial costs with removing the system after 35-years of operation.
• Address and mitigate impacts generated by the construction activity associated with Marrow Street Solar project.
• Providing a vegetated buffer near homes.
• Pollinator and Wildlife Friendly groundcover underneath the solar panels

Construction for projects of this size last only 4-5 months, with the loudest part (steel pile driving) lasting only a couple of weeks. Below are visuals for the phases of construction, operation, and decommissioning.

Construction (4-5 months):

Operations (30-35 years):

Decommissioning (4 weeks):

What happens once the solar farm is no longer operable?

After the solar farm is no longer operable, the Project owner will follow a number of steps to safely remove and recycle components of the solar farm. This is known as the Decommissioning Process. A plan describing the removal process is prepared by a licensed engineer, and it will be provided to the Town of South Hill. A decommissioning bond will also be provided to the Town.

How will construction of the solar farm impact local traffic?

Project construction is anticipated to last between 5-9 months, depending on the nature of each project site. Truck traffic during construction is estimated to range from two trucks/day during site preparation and electrical/inspection stages, and approximately four trucks/day during the peak construction period. This small increase in traffic is typically well within the existing roadway conditions and available roadway capacities. Moreover, the roadways should not be significantly impacted by standard construction traffic, and it is not anticipated that daily vehicular traffic following construction will disrupt local traffic flows during normal peak hours.

To mitigate traffic impact, we will coordinate with county and VDOT representatives to determine appropriate transportation management procedures which may include, but are not limited to:

• traffic control
• truck restrictions
• temporary, short-term lane/road closures
• temporary road access restrictions

Does a solar farm create noise pollution?

There will be no noise pollution beyond the project boundary. The inverters within the solar farm will produce a consistent, quiet hum similar in volume to an older residential air conditioner. This sound is largely attributed to the cooling fans within the unit which only run during the day when the solar panels are generating electricity.

Will the solar farm be visible to the public?

Fundamentally, the design of solar farms result in a very low profile which helps reduce the amount of shading from one row of solar panels to another and in turn provides a minimal impact on local view sheds.

When a solar company incorporates reasonable setbacks from property boundaries and vegetative buffers with evergreen trees and shrubs, the solar farm can be largely concealed from the public view.

How will a solar farm impact property values in the area?

After several years of developing solar projects around the United States, we have engaged with professional property appraisers who work in tandem with the Appraisal Institute to conduct extensive studies on the areas surrounding our projects. Consistently their research has determined that solar farms do not provide injury to the value of adjoining or abutting properties. Several factors that contribute to this conclusion include:

1. Traffic: Solar Farms are not traffic generators. In comparison, according to the Institute of Transportation Engineers, one single family home in the U.S., on average, generates 9.5 vehicle trips per day. An operating solar farm, on the other hand, generates fewer vehicle trips than that per month.
2. Odor: Solar farms do not produce odor, nor do they create any emissions.
3. Noise: Solar farms produce no discernible noise beyond the project boundary.
4. Environment: Solar farms do not produce toxic or hazardous waste or contain hazardous materials or substances.­
5. Light: Solar farms are completely dark at night.

Will the solar panels create a glare?

To capture as much sunlight as possible, the glass utilized in the solar panel manufacturing process is embedded with an anti-reflective coating. Thus, solar panels will not create a noticeable amount of glare. As a matter of fact, the Federal Aviation Administration allows solar farms to be co-located at airports due to their lower reflectivity than other real-world objects like water, buildings, glass, and even snow.

How do solar farms impact wildlife?

While solar farms are fenced in and thus prevent deer from passing through the project site, solar farms do create a variety of microclimates which promote botanical diversity. By integrating native and pollinator friendly vegetative buffers and ground covers, solar farms often become a safe haven for pollinator species. For this reason, around the country, solar farms have consistently received support from local Audubon Societies.

Will the Project owner have an insurance policy on the solar farm?

Yes. The Project Owner will obtain comprehensive general liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 and keep it in effect at all times during the term of the project’s life.

Will the solar farm increase neighborhood temperatures?

Solar panels are relatively thin, lightweight, and composed primarily of glass. Due to their structure and composition, solar panels dissipate heat quickly. Considering the existing use of the property, the neighborhood should not experience an increase in ambient temperatures.

Will there be hazardous materials?

No. There will be no hazardous materials used in the construction or operation of the project, beyond the fuel required for construction equipment.

What is the height of the solar panels once installed?

Because the solar panels track the sun throughout the day, they range in height with a maximum of approximately 14 feet at the highest point.

Will there be ground cover to prevent erosion?

Yes, solar farms commonly utilize a drought tolerant and freeze resistant ground cover that is deep rooted in order to prevent erosion and provide a habitat for native pollinator species. These species are maintained throughout the life of the project between panels.

What are the direct benefits of community solar to the Town of South Hill?

Town of South Hill low to moderate income residents that are Dominion Energy consumers are eligible to receive a credit from this solar farm to lower their energy bill. Continue scrolling to the "Subscribe" tab if you are interested in using a portion of Marrow Street Solar Farm to lower your electricity bill.

As a 2 megawatt (MW) project, Marrow Street Solar Farm will produce clean solar electricity for approximately 400 low to moderate income homes as well as some businesses.

The Project aligns with the Town of South Hill's long-term goals laid out in their Master Plan. Specifically, key themes found in the Town's Master Plan that directly relate to an intended solar project include:

Subscribe to Marrow Street Solar Farm if you are:

1. A Dominion Energy consumer
2. In the Low to Moderate Income bracket
3. Interested in lowering your electric bill

Congratulations to the five local South Hill organizations selected as recipients of the Marrow Street Community Impact Grant: South Hill Lions Club, South Hill Revitalization Committee, South Hill Breadbox, Rotary Club of South Hill, and Imagination Library of Mecklenburg County. We are proud to award a total of $12,500 in grants to support their impactful work in our community.

Our company,    ESA   , is an independently-owned solar development, engineering, and construction company headquartered in Central Florida with offices in Washington DC, Michigan and California. ESA’s people-centered approach to clean energy development uplifts the people who live, work, and play nearby while always preserving local character.

Over the past decade, ESA has successfully transacted over 6 GW of operating solar energy projects and pre-construction development assets. Our diverse portfolio spans a broad array of asset classes, including installations at corporate headquarters, commercial and industrial facilities, community solar portfolios, and multi-100 MW utility-scale solar projects. ESA's influence extends across 22 states, where projects have interconnected with 27 distinct utilities.

Since 2021, we have permitted nearly a dozen community solar projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia.