{"id":7269,"date":"2013-12-27T16:31:05","date_gmt":"2013-12-27T21:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=7269"},"modified":"2013-12-27T16:34:20","modified_gmt":"2013-12-27T21:34:20","slug":"sandy-hill-solar-elm-city-nc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/sandy-hill-solar-elm-city-nc.html","title":{"rendered":"Sandy Hill Solar, Elm City, NC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nCan’t miss this driving north on I-95:\r\nacres of solar panels next to the highway,\r\npaying a local farmer for decades.\r\n

\r\nMacDonald wrote for enerG September\/October 2012,\r\n\r\nSolar picking upsteam in the U.S. South<\/a>,\r\n

\r\n

\r\nThe Sandy Cross solar farm is the most recent project completed by\r\nO2energies, a mid-sized Charlotte-based solar development firm that\r\nhas built a reputation for combining sustainable agriculture and\r\nsustainable energy production on farms in the southeastern U.S. The\r\ncompany owns and operates several solar farms in North Carolina.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nThe company’s president, Joel Olsen, notes that agriculture and\r\nenergy production can complement each other. Solar farms have a low\r\nprofile, are noiseless, produce no pollution, and consume no water.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nOlsen points out an interesting fact: solar farms can often be\r\neasily placed on farm land that is unsuitable for crops—that\r\nsame land can be ideal for producing energy.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nOlsen explained that the Sandy Cross project started with\r\ndiscussions with Old North State Winery and Brewery, which uses the\r\ngrapes from the Lewis Family Farm’s vineyard.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n“There was land on the vineyard that wasn’t suitable for growing\r\ngrapes, and there was interest in possibly leasing out some portion\r\nof the farm to generate renewable energy.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nAt the same time, North Carolina-based Progress Energy (now part of\r\nDuke Energy) put out a Request for Proposals and Renewable Energy\r\nCredits for solar power.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n“We responded to the RFP using the Sandy Cross vineyard as the\r\nlocation, and our proposal was selected,” said Olsen. “Shortly\r\nafter, we began working with Nash County on a new ordinance that\r\nwould allow solar farms to be built in the county. We spent a lot of\r\ntime working with the county planning department to make sure the\r\npermitting and zoning would be possible.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nAmong the 80 workers who built the project, half were from Nash\r\nCounty, where the Sandy Cross project is located, and most others\r\nwere from neighboring counties. The employment is all welcome, as\r\nthe county has a higher than national average unemployment rate, at\r\n12 percent.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nHere’s\r\n\r\na video<\/a>:\r\n

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