Clearview Solar, a Champaign County-based subsidiary of Open Road Renewables, is currently working with landowners using lease agreements to utilize acreage for a photovoltaic (“PV”) electric generation facility to be located north of Rosewood in Adams Township.
Clearview Solar’s plan allows for a maximum generation capacity of 144 megawatts of electricity.
According to the company’s website, the approximated fenced area is 1,061 acres. The foundation is to be made from driven pilings, making a concrete foundation unnecessary.
Thousands of interconnected solar modules are to be mounted on racking attached to the steel pilings. The proposed site has a maximum height of 15 feet and an estimated ground coverage ratio of 31%.
Like any other major utility facility in Ohio, Clearview Solar is required to obtain a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need from the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) before construction can begin.
A typical OPSB certification process can take anywhere from 9 to 12 months. After several months of going through the standard application process through OPSB, the solar project is in the final stages of approval.
After meeting with the Champaign County Commissioners at the beginning of June, Vice President of Development at Open Road Renewables Doug Herling agreed to be available for a public meeting after the commissioners expressed concern about lack of community awareness.
However, according to Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jane Napier, the solar project is too far into the process for community members to be successful in any oppositions that may arise.
The commissioners requested that a public meeting would be scheduled in order to spread word of the project.
The public meeting will be Tuesday, June 22 at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Champaign County Community Center.
Herling will be there in person to give a presentation. There will be a question-and-answer session where the public will have the opportunity to ask questions concerning the proposed solar project.
