GLASTONBURY — As East Windsor continues its fight against a proposed solar farm by Verogy, the West Hartford-based developer has its sights set on Glastonbury for its latest project.
The proposed Glastonbury Solar One project at 17 Wickham Road would be a 3-megawatt, alternating current (AC) system that would generate enough electricity to power 778 average homes for a year.
The solar facility would use 17 acres of farmland on a 47-acre parcel owned by the Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Archdiocese of Hartford. The Holy Cross Cemetery, which is also located on the property and is overseen by the association, would remain.
The company said that the new facility would help support Gov. Ned Lamont's 2019 executive order of having a 100 percent, zero-carbon target for the electricity sector by 2040.
Verogy co-founder and Director of Development Bryan Fitzgerald said that the project is estimated to cost between $8.5 million and $9 million.
According to the project website, the project is designed to have minimal environmental impacts and would have several benefits, including an increase in new annual municipal tax revenues with no additional burden to town services, and strengthened renewable energy resources that would produce electricity locally with zero pollution.
The Glastonbury project would offset the equivalent of 3,998 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, equal to the emissions from 449,824 gallons of gasoline consumed, Fitzgerald said.
Credits would be applied to the bills at no cost to participating electric customers, including low-income and moderate-income customers as well as small business and municipal customers, according to the project website. Fitzgerald said that the facility's output would save subscribing customers a total of $140,000 in an average year.
The project, if approved by the Connecticut Siting Council, would begin construction in spring 2024 with completion in the fall, according to the project website.
If the project gets completed, according to the website, the remainder of the farmland could be used for other purposes.
"Over the past year it was leased to a farmer on a one-year lease," Fitzgerald said.
What makes the location suitable for the Solar One project, Fitzgerald said, is that the land is flat, so it is "accepting to the solar development."
"It's already cleared, so there's no tree removal," Fitzgerald said. "The wetland is off in the woods, so it won't be near it, and won't be affected."
Patrick McGloin of Westland Public Relations, which represents Verogy, said that if the solar farm is approved, Verogy would lease the property from the association for 20 years, which is typically the minimum life span for solar equipment.
Fitzgerald said that Verogy notified nearby residents of the proposed solar farm through its mailing campaign and encourages interaction, but has not received any feedback as of yet. He said another mail notification will be sent out via certified mail before its application is submitted to the siting council, which Verogy plans to do in the next few weeks.
Verogy is also looking to build solar farm facilities in other towns, including Franklin, Stafford, Windsor, and Woodstock.
The announcement to build in Glastonbury comes at the same time that officials in East Windsor have decided to appeal the siting council's approval of Verogy's East Windsor Solar Two project at 31 Thrall Road.
East Windsor has two solar farms in operation — NorCap South on Wapping Road and Solar One on East Road. Solar One, which was built in 2021 after Verogy developed the property for it, is now owned by NextEra. A third solar farm, Gravel Pit Solar between Apothecaries Hill Road and Plantation Road, is currently under construction.
“The Connecticut Siting Council has still not recognized the cumulative impact of these projects on small towns like ours," East Windsor First Selectman Jason Bowsza said on Thursday. "The council has ignored the stated position of the town, and accordingly we have no choice but to appeal the decision the state Superior Court.”
Bowsza previously voiced his opposition to the Thrall Road proposal in September, saying it would be "gobbling up prime farmland."
“While the town is strongly disappointed with the Connecticut Siting Council’s decision, the successes that the town was able to secure in the conditions of the approval are significant," Bowsza said on Friday. “I want to thank the grassroots advocates in East Windsor who were able to join in our efforts to push back on this application."