A solar farm on the way to Cumberland County after officials approved an energy siting agreement with Silicon Ranch and Copeland LLC.
Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster said the agreement covers 1,600 acres of private property where the solar facility will be constructed. Foster said the the solar farm was coming to the county regardless, but the siting agreement allowed the company to voluntarily put protections in writing that would not have existed.
“I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of solar energy either,” Foster said. “I think it’s government subsidies in the large part that makes it a financially viable transaction, and I’m not a huge fan of that. But I’m assuming people have those similar things. You know, people talk about losing farmland. I hate that too, but in the end, a private owner can sell their private property to who they want to.
Foster said the agreement also holds the company responsible for any damages caused to local roads during the process. Silicon Ranch said the new solar energy farm will help stabilize the energy grid in the Upper Cumberland, without causing too much distraction in the area. Foster also said the company agreed to fix up the roads once they completed the project.
“It was the right thing to do for the people of Cumberland County,” Foster said. “It was things that would protect the citizens to the greatest extent possible.”
The project is located on private land, and Foster said the owners have the right to use their property as they choose. Foster said the siting agreement adds requirements for setbacks and vegetative buffers to screen the facility from the view of surrounding neighbors.
“Without that agreement, they were still coming, but there were no guarantees that the public would be protected,” Foster said. “It covers damages to roads, decommissioning of the area, access to first responders, all kinds of things that are important to the people of Cumberland County.”
The developer plans to utilize an innovative land-use method that allows livestock to remain on the property. Foster said the solar panels are positioned high enough to allow animals, such as sheep, to graze underneath the equipment.
“The panels are up high enough and they come in and graze, and you can have a farm there with animals right with the solar panels,” Foster said.
While the project will contribute energy to the power grid, Foster said he believes other technologies may be better suited for long-term regional needs. Foster said there is a significant demand for power in the Upper Cumberland area that must be addressed.
“My personal opinion is the small nuclear is going to be the solution that we’re going to need for energy long-term, but in the meantime, I suppose every little bit helps,” Foster said. “I know we’re in a definite need in the Upper Cumberland area for power.”
Foster said he understands the concerns citizens have about solar farms in rural areas, and agrees with most of them. Foster said the solar farms are still less invasive than facilities like AI data centers. While construction may cause a disturbance, Foster said once they are up, the panels will quietly absorb the sun’s rays and provide power.
“I think from what I’ve heard in other areas, once it’s up, people don’t really notice it, especially if you’ve got the protections from the vegetative buffer around it,” Foster said. “In a lot of ways it’s better than other industries in that it’s not going to be making a lot of noise or anything like that.”
Construction on the solar farm is expected to begin soon. Foster said the company estimated the building process will take around 18 months to complete.
“They didn’t even have to approach us about doing a siting agreement, but they chose to do that,” Foster said. “And it does give the people of Cumberland County the most protections that we can get out of it. So it was overall it was something that was necessary and needed.”
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