Editor, The Smithfield Times:

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Form 923 as of July, seven of Virginia’s 10 largest solar facilities with three-plus operating years reporting have decreased energy generation:  Southampton (-37%), Spring Grove 1 (-34%), Eastern Shore (-22%), Greenville (16%), Grasshopper (-15%), Pleinmont (-10%) and Mechanicsville (-9%).  

This is either facility degradation and/or their potential generation is not making its way into the PJM Energy Market for lack of need or price. With .5% panel degradation, the resulting anticipated facility decline should be 0.125%, which is the case for a few neighboring facilities. 

If utility scale solar is good, the developers would not resort to third-party hiring and call it “Best Effort”; donate a total of $500,000 to the Virginia Tech/Department of Environmental Quality $3.4 million Stormwater Study; use energy-inexperienced lobbyist “Energy Right”; suspend PJM project status when approved by Board of Supervisors; hire sheep; buy Asia Pacific solar panels (if not from China suspectedly China dumped); iPad door-to-door and open house surveys; sue for easement rights; and, for most facilities, report annually to EIA Form 923 verses monthly. 

The Developers talk power in terms of MW, and not energy made in terms of MWHr’s. Money-wise, they do not relate energy to their revenue, renewable energy certificates and replacement fuel savings, which the counties receive lower than 1%. For comparison, they don’t discuss that a 1000 MW nuclear or coal unit is the equivalent energy output of a 5,000 MW solar (requiring 50,000 acres, or 78 miles).   

How is utility scale solar good for the Virginia economy? Once operating, the conventional energy producer employs approximately 20 Virginians on site per 100 MW; for solar, maybe four people shared with other facilities, and for herd of sheep. And, remotely monitored, from which state?       

Virginia is not needing the existing solar facilities; why does Virginia need more?    

 

David Tucker

Rushmere