WORTHINGTON — Planning Board Chair Bart Niswonger said that Thursday night’s public hearing about a special permit for a 28-acre solar array off Ridge Road would last either until he fell asleep or until residents were done asking questions.
He never did fall asleep, and the 70 residents in attendance had free rein for three-and-a-half hours to voice concerns about Boston-based solar developer BlueWave’s proposed project. Plans call for installation of 7,462 ground-mounted agrivoltaic panels in an open field at 190 Ridge Road, with the panels elevated to allow farming underneath.
Residents expressed worry about potential fire hazards, the chance of a toxic runoff from the battery storage system that would accompany the project. Others were blunt about the plans, calling solar arrays ugly and noisy.
“You’ll have one of the prettiest golf courses in the state on one side, and on the other side is a field that has been hay every summer as long as I’ve lived in town, at least as long as I can remember, for about 40 years,” said resident Brian Shick, who equates solar panels to landscape pollution. “And I have nothing against solar, but I do think solar farms are extremely ugly. I don’t want to look at a solar farm.”
BlueWave representatives explained that it is a preference for their business to not deforest land to make way for solar panels, adding that their plans for the Worthington site owned by Timothy and Catherine Rude-Sena comply with the state’s incentives for dual-use agriculture and solar array developments. In addition to leasing the property, the property owners would also sign a contract to farm the land.
Examples of these agriculture developments by BlueWave can seen in Palmer and Dighton. BlueWave engineer Olivia Crosby said that hay would be grown on the Worthington site with a potential for livestock to be raised within the acreage of the solar array.
The development is projected to produce 3.95 megawatts of energy, or enough to power an estimated 1,000 homes. If plans go through, the project is not expected to begin until 2027 and would require six to nine months of construction.
Before the project can go any further, the Planning Board must issue a special permit to allow the development within the town’s “Water Supply Protection District.” Residents disliked that half of the proposed solar array would be built within this district.
Legal questions
Robin Stein of KP Law, the town’s legal counsel, told residents she doesn’t see a way for the project to be denied.
She cited Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40A, Section 3, which states that “No zoning ordinance or by-law shall prohibit or unreasonably regulate the installation of solar energy systems or the building of structures that facilitate the collection of solar energy, except where necessary to protect the public health, safety or welfare.”
The law allows the town to have input on “how, not if” developments go up, Stein said. That being the case, she and Niswonger continuously reminded residents that the night was not about denying the special permit. Rather, it was about finding ways for the town to mitigate concerns and hazards.
Many residents begged to differ on whether denial was possible, including Helen Sharron Pollard, who owns the Worthington Golf Club that would abut the development to the south. Pollard said BlueWave’s application should be denied immediately, and threatened a lawsuit in land court if the project goes through.
Pollard contends the current plans lack a number of key details, including fire and hazard mitigation plans, an emergency response plan and an environmental impact analysis.
“Outright deny because this plan is incomplete,” she told the Planning Board. “The clock needs to restart.”
Niswonger responded, saying, “You and I disagree on the options available for the Planning Board.”
At another point, Planning Board member Nestor Mathews echoed both the chair’s and town counsel’s words saying that the town needs to finds ways to mitigate and incorporate the development. This angered those in attendance, with many lashing out, saying “no” and “oh, get out of here.”
Fire, battery, noise
Fire safety was among the most frequently cited concerns by residents, including Fire Chief Michael Dondiego, who worries about the type of battery that will be used. “It all depends on the battery chemistry,” he said.
In its application for the special permit, BlueWave did not spell out the type of battery it would use. Thursday’s meeting officials explained that they do not want to decide on the battery type at this time because technology in the solar field is rapidly progressing.
Dondiego and other residents also expressed that there is not enough water available in local ponds or reservoirs to counteract a fire should one break out. In addition, Worthington is disadvantaged given that they have a nine-person volunteer fire department with backup as far as 45 minutes away.
Aaron Simms, managing director of solar development with BlueWave, stressed that batteries are highly regulated and that BlueWave sees it as a serious responsibility to prevent disasters. Going forward, the Planning Board will hire an engineering consultant, who will be paid by BlueWave, to iron out and explain details of the proposed project.
Residents also wanted reassurance that the battery system wouldn’t produce noise. Plans currently state that the battery package will make noise of approximately 50 decibels, or the noise produced by a ceiling fan.
Other potential neighbors of the project also said that BlueWave was taking all the money while the town absorbs all the risk of a potential disaster, and that the development would be a quarter-mile from the center of town.
After hours of discussion, West Chesterfield filmmaker Chris Landry pressed BlueWave whether they would take their business somewhere else if it was proven that enough residents are opposed.
Simms replied, “This is a process.” When pushed further by Landry, Simms responded, “My answer is what I said.”
The process will continue after the holidays. BlueWave will be back on Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Town Hall.