Pocaty River Solar

Pocaty River Solar is a community solar project being developed by Apex Clean Energy and ESA. Community solar farms help Low to Moderate Income earners lower their electric bill. Together, Apex Clean Energy and ESA successfully permitted community solar projects in Halifax County and Lunenburg County.

Apex is a renewable energy company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, with extensive experience in developing, constructing, and operating utility-scale wind and solar projects nationwide.

ESA is a solar energy development and engineering company headquartered in Central Florida.

Continue scrolling to learn more about Pocaty River Solar!

The landscape renderings below show the exisiting site conditions, immediately after construction and projected growth over a span of 8-10 years. Per the City's Solar Ordinance, the vegetative buffer will consist of five (5) small trees, twenty-five (25) shrubs, and a solid row of evergreen trees that are at least 8 feet in height at the time of planting for every 100 linear feet, and pollinator friendly groundcover. The buffer will be planted around the entire project area. Trees are predicted to grow between 2 and 10 feet each year depending on the species. Vegetation will obscure the panels from view after a few years.

This render is from the view of the intersection between Carolina and Long Ridge Road. The existing buffer serves to obscure site almost entirely from view. The 10ft wide buffer at the front helps to supplement the viewshed.

Completed Step

In Progress

Not Yet Completed

*Dates are subject to change

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 City of Chesapeake. A decommissioning bond will also be provided to the City.

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 10 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.

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 city 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

What are the direct benefits of community solar to the City of Chesapeake?

Low to moderate income residents in the City of Chesapeake that are also Dominion Energy customers are eligible to receive a credit from this solar farm to lower their energy bill. Continue scrolling to the "Subsribe" tab if you are interested in using a portion of Pocaty River Solar to lower your electicity bill!

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

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

Subscribe to Pocaty River Solar if you are:

1. A Dominion Energy consumer
2. In the Low to Moderate Income tract
3. Interested in lowering your electric bill
4. Not eligible to have solar panels on your roof

By subscribing to Pocaty Solar, you are using clean energy from a portion of the solar farm to lower your electric bill. How big or small of a portion you use is based on how much energy you use in a month.

As seen in the visual, energy from the solar panels flows directly into the local power supply for homes and businesses to use. As the solar farm generates electricity, you earn a credit to use toward your monthly bill from Dominion Energy.

Then, a third party called Arcadia combines your electric bill from Dominion and your subsription to the solar farm, and in the end you save up to 10% on your electric bill!

There is limited subscription availability from Pocaty River Solar that can be reserved for City of Chesapeake residents. Follow the link below to prioritize your savings and to be a part of local clean energy!

Do you have questions or want to learn more about Pocaty River Solar? Click on the button below to fill out a short contact information form.

The Apex Clean Energy & ESA teams work to be active community participants while supporting local efforts to build positive community programs within the City of Chesapeake.

Our grant program is one way for us to contribute to pressing community needs, while partnering with local individuals and organizations to support projects aligned with four key activities: building healthy communities, promoting education, community revitalization, and environmental sustainability.

The grant program will provide support funding for project execution expenses to one or more non-profit organizations working within the community.

*UPDATE: The grant application is officially closed. Congratulations to ForKids Inc., New Youth Vision Services, Seed of Hope, and Roc Solid Foundation!!! *