NEW SCOTLAND — The New Scotland Planning Board recently approved the installation of a 4.5 megawatt large-scale solar facility. 

The project is located 44 acres of land nestled between the homes of Crow Ridge Road to the east, National Grid’s right-of-way to the west, an expanse of green to the north, and New Scotland Road to the south. 

The facility approved by the planning board on Jan. 7 is to be a community-distributed generator of green energy, meaning once it is up and running, local residents could subscribe to “receive” a portion of the project’s clean electrical energy output. The output actually comes in the form of bill reductions of between 5 and 15 percent.

This was project developer RIC Energy’s second bite at the apple in New Scotland, having withdrawn an application in May 2023 for a 5 megawatt photovoltaic farm at a 75-acre New Scotland Road property adjacent to the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy Bender Melon Farm Preserve.

For this 4.55 megawatt proposal, RIC found a mostly out-of-the-way location situated such that the multiple variance requests that help sink its earlier project would not become an issue this time around. 

With the site and zoning code no longer an issue, the planning board began its thorough review of the project over six months ago.

Board concerns with the proposal can be seen in the conditions laid out for project approval. 

The board found that the initial glare study submitted by RIC did not adequately account for the existing vegetation around the project site, which could have significantly impacted glare. The board noted that the initial analysis made incorrect assumptions about there being no obstructions  between the panels and any potential receptors, or people or things that could be affected by the panels, like residents, road users, and aviators. There were also limitations noted with the modeling software used for the study. 

Taken all together, the issues led the planning board to request a revised glare study that included existing tree heights and proposed plantings. The revised study showed that, with the inclusion of existing vegetation, there would be no glare at any observation points.

To deal with any potential glare, the board said the panels could only tilt, a process known as backtracking, within a certain set of degrees. Limiting backtracking tilt means the panels could spend more of the day in the shade, which reduces a company’s revenue in the process.  

The board also set up a review process to address unforeseen issues.

If a complaint about glare is received, it will not automatically trigger a review. Instead, the town’s building inspector will verify the complaint before it is brought back to the planning board.

If the project does come back before the board, it reserved the right to initiate a modification of the project approval to address and mitigate any verified complaints. Any modifications would be subject to a public hearing.

The board also addressed notification issues once the project is up and running, stating that RIC had to make a serious effort to provide the town with notice of any mailings or other solicitations offering subscriptions, ensuring that New Scotland residents are prioritized for any service opportunities.

RIC had initially said it intended to disturb more than five acres at a time, which would require a waiver. To mitigate disturbances, the board said a phasing plan must be included on the site plans with a note indicating each phase has to be stabilized and inspected before moving to the next.