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Flat Run Solar, LLC Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Application

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Flat Run Solar, LLC Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Application Flat Run Solar, LLC Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Application Site Assessment Report Case No. 2020-00272 April 2021 Contents 1. Description of Proposed Facility 2. Compatibility with Scenic Surroundings 3. Property Value Impacts 4. Anticipated Noise Levels at Property Boundary 5. Effect on Road, Railways, and Fugitive Dust 6. Mitigation Measures Attachments A. Preliminary Project Layout B. Property Value Impact Report C. Map of Nearest Neighbors D. Surrounding Area Images E. Boundary Survey and Legal Descriptions F. Noise and Traffic Study G. Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Flat Run Solar Site Assessment Report Page 1 1. Description of Proposed Facility REQUIREMENT: per KRS 278.708(3)(a); A description of the proposed facility that shall include a proposed site development plan that describes: 1. Surrounding land uses for residential, commercial, agricultural, and recreational purposes; 2. The legal boundaries of the proposed site; 3. Proposed access control to the site; 4. The location of facility buildings, transmission lines, and other structures; 5. Location and use of access ways, internal roads, and railways; 6. Existing or proposed utilities to service the facility; 7. Compliance with applicable setback requirements as provided under KRS 278.704(2), (3), (4), or (5); and 8. Evaluation of the noise levels expected to be produced by the facility COMPLIANCE: The proposed facility is described in detail in Section 2 of the Application. The proposed site development plan is attached hereto as Attachment A, and is described in detail at numbers 3-7 below. 1. A detailed description of the surrounding land uses is identified in the Impact Study conducted by Kirkland Appraisals, LLC, and attached as Attachment B. A summary of the surrounding land use is contained in the chart below: Acreage Parcels Residential 11.11% 55.56% Agricultural 55.72% 33.33% Agri/Res 18.44% 7.41% Industrial 14.73% 3.70% Page 6 of the Kirkland Impact Study lists the adjoining parcels, states whether each parcel has a residential home, and states the number of feet between each adjoining residential home and the solar facility. Flat Run Solar Site Assessment Report Page 2 To provide more detailed information on the closest residential homes to the Project, a map showing a 300’ radius around the exterior of the Project is attached as Attachment C. There are three non-participating residential homes within 300’ of the Project, which are marked on the map. Two of these homes have at least one existing vegetative buffer between the home and the Project. Aerial images of each of these three closest homes, and information on the efforts Flat Run has made to additionally screen the view of the Project from each home, are included in Attachment C. Referring to the map in Attachment C, one of the homes (Residence A) has two rows of existing vegetation and a building that will block the view of the solar facility. The Project is also adding a planted vegetative buffer as shown on the site layout map in Attachment A. Residence B is located across Hobson Road from the Project, and will be screened by a home owned by a participating landowner, as well as a planted vegetative buffer. Residence C has existing vegetation that will screen the Project from the home. Attachment C also shows the location of four residential homes (marked with yellow dots on Attachment C) that are owned by landowners that are leasing land from their parcels to the Project, and approve of the Project’s location on their properties. In order to provide the Siting Board with a visualization of the surrounding area, Applicant took a number of photos from the roadways surrounding the proposed facility. These photos, along with a map index showing the location where each image was taken, are attached as Attachment D. 2. Attachment E contains the boundary survey, as well as the legal descriptions of the properties that are leasing land to the proposed facility. 3. The proposed site entrances are marked with orange dots on the site development plan attached hereto as Attachment A. In order to comply with the National Electric Safety Code, the entire site (all areas where equipment is located) will be fenced prior to the start of construction and all entrances to the site will be gated, and locked at all times when workers are not active on site. 4. The preliminary site development plan is located in Attachment A. The applicant will provide a final site plan to the Siting Board prior to construction. The preliminary plan shows the following items that will not materially change during final design: a. Potential Project Footprint (described in detail below, and depicted on the site plan in Attachment A) b. utility easement c. Project setbacks from property lines and roads d. Project setbacks from non-participating residential homes Flat Run Solar Site Assessment Report Page 3 e. vegetative buffer locations and specification1 f. substation and interconnection equipment location g. parcel boundaries The Applicant proposes that any material changes to the locations of the above items would require approval from the Siting Board. The preliminary site development plan also shows the preliminary locations of the following equipment that will change during the detailed design process. Until detailed civil engineering and equipment manufacturing sourcing selections are made prior to construction, Applicant is not able to provide the exact location of these items. The Applicant proposes that changes to the location of these items will not require approval from the Siting Board, as these modifications will not materially change the off-site visual or auditory perception of the facilities: h. interior access roads i. construction entrances j. solar panel, racking, inverter, energy storage, and transformer equipment areas (indicative locations for this equipment are shown on the preliminary facility layout, but actual locations will change within the Potential Project Footprint) k. security fence (the security fence will enclose all Project equipment, but its location may change from the specific locations shown on the preliminary facility layout based on changes in the location of the equipment within the Potential Project Footprint) All equipment related to the Project will be placed within the Potential Project Footprint, with the exception of the fencing, vegetative buffers and pollinator plantings. The fencing, vegetative buffers and pollinator plantings may be placed outside the Potential Project Footprint2, so that the Potential Project Footprint setbacks are measured to the nearest solar panel or other equipment. The Potential Project Footprint in the site development plan conforms with the following proposed setbacks: 50 feet from adjacent roadways 25 feet from non-participating adjoining parcels 150 feet from non-participating residences 1 As described in Section 2 of the Application, the proposed vegetative buffer will consist of two staggered rows of evergreen shrubs. The buffer is designed to be approximately 15 feet wide, and the shrubs will be at least three feet in height at time of planting. 2 Excluding fencing and vegetative buffers from solar project setbacks is fairly standard practice in jurisdictions that have planning and zoning and enact a solar ordinance. Fencing and vegetation are both typically found in residential neighborhoods, and are not typically regulated by setback restrictions. Flat Run Solar Site Assessment Report Page 4 Applicant proposes the following additional setbacks for central inverters, if used, and energy storage systems within the Potential Project Footprint3: 150 feet from property boundaries 300 feet from non-participating residences The purpose of the Potential Project Footprint and associated setbacks is to provide the neighbors of the project and surrounding community with certainty as to the nearest locations they can expect to see solar panels and equipment. In proposing the setbacks for this Project, the Applicant considered the Project’s location along 2 rural county roads, and the fact that the Project area is relatively close to only three non-participating residences as described in Attachment C. Due to the constrained amount of land available for the Project, Applicant requires these proposed setbacks in order to build the Project at the proposed size. 5. The location and use of construction access points and internal roads are described in items 3 and 4 above. There are no railways that intersect with the Project site. 6. The Green County – Saloma 161kv transmission line will serve the facility and carry electricity generated by the Project. At this time, it is not anticipated that the Project will need to receive external utility services during typical plant operation. If electricity service is required during construction or operation of the Project, it will be contracted with the local utility, Taylor County RECC. There will not be any water or sewer servicing the Project site. There is likely to be no permanent project office building on site (there will not be permanent workers at the Project site after construction.) If there is a permanent building on site, it will likely be a trailer or container to store operations and maintenance equipment and parts. This trailer or container will not require water or sewer service. Communications fiber will be contracted with local service providers. During construction, water may be required initially for irrigating the vegetative buffer until it is established. This water would be trucked onto site. During operation solar sites 3 In the Applicant’s experience, most zoning jurisdictions in the US that have a solar ordinance do not include a specific setback for inverters or energy storage systems, in addition to the general property line setbacks that apply to all equipment within the solar project. Applicant is proposing the additional setback for central inverters and energy storage systems in order to provide the Siting Board and neighbors of the project with certainty about the nearest potential locations of this equipment.
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