At the same time we are debating solar projects here in Augusta County, Dominion Energy is trying to locate a gas plant Chesterfield County due to increasing demand for electricity. We are fortunate in Augusta County not to have any power plants, yet we use plenty of electricity, and will surely only demand more in the future. It is selfish and unreasonable to expect other residents of the commonwealth to deal with the side effects of electric generation while we have none. Seeing, but not hearing or smelling, solar panels seems a much better option than having a petroleum, coal, natural gas, or nuclear power plant in the neighborhood. Jefferson highway already has many industrial establishments on it; I don’t see how some solar panels set back would cause a big difference.

Solar and agriculture don’t have to be mutually exclusive. There are many research projects ongoing on “agrisolar” or “agrivoltaics”. When designed and managed with best practices, agrisolar can:
* Increase rural energy independence,
* Increase soil organic matter and carbon accrual,
* Improve ecosystem health,
* Support native species and local pollinators like bees, and butterflies,
and very importantly, improve farm profitability and keep farm lands in farmer’s hands.