This is our quiet, rural neighborhood's story:

For several years, global renewable energy developer BayWa r.e., headquartered in Germany, targeted our area in an attempt to secure land leases.

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After securing four parcels along True Blue Road, BayWa r.e. submitted an application to Orange County for a Special Use Permit in November 2023 to develop a utility scale solar project named Sunfish Solar on this leased land.

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If Sunfish Solar had been approved, BayWa r.e. would have begun construction of a solar power plant and substation. 180,830 solar panels would have been installed and surrounded by barbed wire-topped security fencing.

This project would have put an industrial power plant on land zoned for agriculture, destroying the area's rural character, quality of life for residents, and animal and plant habitat.

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The good news? This project was denied by both our Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors; both entities recognized Sunfish Solar's incompatibility with our county's Comprehensive Plan. 

This website continues to follow renewable energy developments in Orange County and Virginia. 

Click here to visit our blog for an updated list of pertinent articles.