Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 58F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 58F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: February 18, 2026 @ 10:41 pm
Bob Phillips shows a photo of a solar panel array on his property while speaking in favor of the proposed solar farm in Abbeville County during a Wednesday meeting of the Abbeville County Planning Commission.
Up to 70 people packed the Abbeville County Council chamber for a Wednesday meeting of the Abbeville County Planning Commission. The panel rejected an amended proposal by Delafield Energy to locate a solar farm jut north of the city of Abbeville.
Bob Phillips shows a photo of a solar panel array on his property while speaking in favor of the proposed solar farm in Abbeville County during a Wednesday meeting of the Abbeville County Planning Commission.
Up to 70 people packed the Abbeville County Council chamber for a Wednesday meeting of the Abbeville County Planning Commission. The panel rejected an amended proposal by Delafield Energy to locate a solar farm jut north of the city of Abbeville.
ABBEVILLE — People erupted in applause as a permit for a proposed solar farm was rejected a second time.
Members of the Abbeville County Planning Commission unanimously rejected a request by Brush Hollow Solar LLC at a meeting Wednesday evening.
Officials with Delafield Energy resubmitted a proposal with amendments to the decommissioning section for the project that would be located just north of Abbeville in a lot sandwiched between Highways 20 and 28.
In a November meeting, the initial project was turned down by the commission over dissatisfaction with how the proposed 766-acre project would be shut down.
Nearly 70 people filled the Abbeville County Council chamber room as Delafield Energy officials presented details in an updated plan.
The plan, said Matt Delafield, co-founder and CEO of Delafield Energy, dealt with a “worst worse case scenario” that would involve up to six months for decommissioning, removal of all modules and cables on site, delivery to a landfill and provisions for a fund that would cover up to 125% of expected expenses.
Nearly 20 people signed up to comment on the proposal. Most voiced opposition, citing concerns about the use of farmland, concerns over erosion and contamination from damaged equipment on the site.
After the presentation and public comment period, chairman Donny Ray said he had contacted landfill officials in Spartanburg and York counties and learned that they don’t take materials from solar farms. Ray further stated that no South Carolina landfills would take such waste. As a result, Ray said, there is a problem with decommissioning.
If a landfill won’t take the materials, then the price of recycling is not a consideration, Ray said, to some silent applause from audience.
Andy Price, a county planner with the planning and zoning department, said he couldn’t find any landfills that would accept solar farm panels. Abbeville County’s landfill would accept them, but likely would send them to a third-party facility that would charge money for disposal.
“There are a lot of unknowns,” Price said before recommending that Brush Hollow’s permit be rejected. “I just don’t think enough documentation has been provided.”
Contact staff writer Robert Jordan at 864-943-5650.
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