The Carnation Application has been filed with the OPSB
The Carnation Solar project located in Amanda Township has moved from the planning phase to the official "permitting" phase involving the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) by the developer. NOTE: the project is NOT a certainty, and the overwhelming local opposition to the project will play a significant factor in its outcome - that is why we must remain vigilant and continue to make our voices heard in all forums, such as, Township Trustees, County Commissioners, State level, and local community engagement.
Now that the project has moved to the "permitting" phase with the OPSB therefore we must attend and submit comments in opposition at the OPSB required informational meetings, attend the OPSB public hearings to voice our opposition, and submit public comments in opposition to the OPSB case that has been opened for this project.
Go to the Carnation Solar News page for the latest info.
Below is some info about the project:
The name of the project is Carnation Solar (Carnation Solar, LLC)
The project is located solely in Amanda Township
The project size is approximately 1,700 acres
There are 6 land owners who have signed land leases with the solar developer, the parcels leased by these 6 land owners constitute the 1,700 acre project area
See the "What can I do to support opposition to the Carnation Solar project in Amanda Township?" item on the FAQ page, to learn how you can help.
The parent company of Carnation Solar, LLC is National Grid Renewables and National Grid Renewables is a subsidiary of UK owned National Grid.
Carnation Solar has begun the "permitting" process (i.e. application to the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB)) on September 18, 2024.
This is an Industrial Facility -- make no mistake about it! This is not similar to rooftop solar or small ground based systems you may see at residences, etc. This is a utility scale industrial power generation facility covering numerous square miles generating high-voltages. As such they come with industrial requirements, such as perimeter fencing. The National Electric Code (NEC) section 110.31 states the following for locations with over 600 Volts present:
"... a wall, screen, or fence shall be used to enclose an outdoor electrical installation to deter access by persons who are not qualified. A fence shall not be less than 2.1 m (7 ft) in height or a combination of 1.8 m (6 ft) or more of fence fabric and a 300 mm (1 ft) or more extension utilizing three or more strands of barbed wire or equivalent."
Imagine having to live "in" such a facility because your home will be bordered, and in some cases surrounded by, a 7 ft high fence topped with barbed wire. It ruins the rural character of the area, it ruins the view-shed from nearby homes, it ruins the property values of nearby homes,... And, although local zoning is primarily limited to agriculture use where these facilities are located it is superseded by state law in Ohio for utility scale power generation. See the FAQ page question about zoning.
The project started with the company Geronimo Solar Energy, LLC. Geronimo Energy began acquiring land leases for the project. Then in July of 2019 National Grid acquired Geronimo Energy. After the acquisition the leases that were signed with "Geronimo Solar Energy, LLC" were then assumed by Carnation Solar, LLC (i.e. National Grid Renewables). Thus, the project is now "Carnation Solar."
It appears, from county records, that 2 land owners had originally signed leases with Geronimo Solar Energy. Those leased parcels totaled approximately 400 acres. The additional parcels constituting the remaining 1,300 acres were then acquired directly by Carnation Solar later.
The project has 2 entries in the PJM (the regional electric grid manager) service queue (learn more about PJM on the FAQ page):
AF2-371 - this is the initial service queue project entry the PJM site lists the submitted date as 3/31/2020, and the feasibility study by PJM issued July 2020, and the PJM impact study issued 5/22/2024 (but this date seems a little suspect in that this date may be from changes in PJM's queue process and there was an earlier impact study dated Feb. 2021) - this was for a total capacity of 84 MW with 50.4 MW recognized as capacity for PJM.
AG1-351 - on 9/30/3030 an "uprate" (i.e. an increase) to the above project was submitted. The increase is to add 58 MW with 34.8MW recognized as additional capacity. Thus, resulting in the overall capability of 142 MW with 85.2 MW of this output being recognized by PJM as capacity. The PJM site only shows completion of an impact study dated 10/2021 (the exact day is not given on the document), and an impact study has not been issued yet.
A local grass-roots group of community members have taken up the task of leading the opposition to the Carnation solar project in Amanda Township ("Protect Amanda Township"), and have now formed a corporation called Protect Amanda Township, Inc. to continue to lead the opposition and raise the funds needed to participate in the OPSB legal process. You are encouraged to contact the Protect Amanda Township group via email and Facebook group.
Some additional background:
On 6/13/2023 the Fairfield County Commissioners held a local meeting at the Amanda High School Auditorium. The major topic of discussion was in regards to the solar project in Amanda Township and the other solar projects in Fairfield county. The meeting was overwhelming attended by those opposing the Amanda Township/Carnation Solar project and the other projects in Fairfield county, in fact, the seating available in this large auditorium was insufficient resulting in "standing room only" attendance. Numerous community members took the opportunity to voice their opposition to the solar projects directly to the commissioners during the public comment portion of the meeting. The commissioners indicated that they had not been contact by NGR about the Carnation Solar project.
National Grid Renewables project personnel sent out letters to non-participating landowners within 300 feet of the project that were received on Monday, 8/7/2023 . The letter indicated NGR would be available on Wednesday and Thursday (yes, just 2 days later - rather short notice) for in-person project discussion. The letter also indicated other arrangement could be made for meeting if needed. A number of community members did arrange meetings and they were attended by NGR personnel Chris Snider (Associate Developer) and Victoria Orchard (Developer). Chris resides outside Somerset, Ohio and Victoria is from NGR headquarters in Minnesota. It was in the introduction letter and discussion where NGR's plan for permitting to begin late 2024 or early 2025 with construction estimated for 2027/2028. While the details of those conversations will not be presented here NGR did say they do not want to go into an area with "stong opposition". There is very, very strong opposition to the projects planned in Fairfield county and we must stay committed and resolved to do all we can to stop these projects.