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Could a solar project at the Lunenburg airport help generate revenue for the county? Is airport solar something even doable? That’s what the county is looking into, as they get set to invite developers to make a pitch. 

Developers will be asked to pitch their proposal on how to handle a relatively small solar project, between 20 to 25 acres, on the southern side of the airport property. Sitting roughly three miles west of Kenbridge, the property is jointly owned, so any decision can’t be made by county supervisors alone. In 1966, when the Lunenburg County Airport was developed, ownership and expenses were split three ways. Lunenburg County owns 50%, while the towns of Kenbridge and Victoria each own 25%, respectively. That means any economic project or even moving forward on a potential project has to be agreed to by a majority of owners. 

The thought here, Lunenburg County Administrator Tracy Gee told supervisors on Thursday, June 12, is to put an RFP (request for proposals) out and see what developers put forward. 

“The land is owned by Lunenburg, Kenbridge and Victoria jointly, so it has to be advertised for an opportunity to bid for publicly held property before you can consider any kind of offer,” Gee told supervisors. 

Each of the groups would then need to hold a public hearing, let residents weigh in on the idea and then let their respective boards vote on it. As for how potential revenue would be split, how much would be brought in on a monthly basis and overall what that would look like, it’s all still up in the air. There’s no plans or documents for residents to see yet, because right now this is an idea, being batted around. 

Airport solar questions and answers

One of the key issues raised by Lunenburg supervisors involved impact. How would a solar farm affect the airport and any airplanes landing or taking off there? Earlier this year, Lunenburg County Airport Manager Larry Way told The Dispatch that the airport averages 30 flights per month, based on the data. However, in the same breath, Way claimed the data might not be completely accurate.
“Many flights do not stop at the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) to sign the guest register but utilize the airport to hone their skills both for landings and approaches,” Way said in that earlier interview. “This number most likely does not reflect the total number of aircraft using the airport.”
So what impact would a solar farm have on 30 or more than 30 aircraft as they take off and land? The Dispatch reached out to a number of sources to get an answer on this. 

First off, we went to the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). Officials there directed us to a document on their website, highlighting a May 2021 policy. That policy requires airports to measure the visual impact of the specific project. Does it create glare? If so, how much? 

“In certain situations, the glass surfaces of the solar energy systems can reflect sunlight and produce glint (a momentary flash of bright light) and glare (a continuous source of bright light),” the policy states. “Initially, FAA believed that solar energy systems could introduce a novel glint and glare effect to pilots on final approach. FAA has subsequently concluded that in most cases, the glint and glare from solar energy systems to pilots on final approach is similar to glint and glare pilots routinely experience from water bodies, glass-façade buildings, parking lots, and similar features.” 

So can solar create glare? Yes, but the amount varies based on the solar farm’s location and the size of the project. To get approved, a solar project here would have to prove to the FAA it has the glare under control. 

Ways to combat glare 

Currently, an estimated 20% of airports in the U.S. have some type of solar project attached. The FAA says there are several ways to address that problem. First, and simplest, you can work  with a developer that uses anti-reflective coating and texturing on the solar panels. 

The second option also addresses a second concern of Lunenburg supervisors. They asked if solar farms could affect the airport’s radar? The FAA says that can be avoided by maintaining a 250 to 500-foot setback from any takeoff or landing areas. 

Has this worked before? Several much bigger airports have concepts like this, but to compare apples to apples, The Dispatch looked for smaller regional airports. What we found as an example was Humboldt County, California. In an area similar to Lunenburg in that it is rural, the county used solar to build its own microgrid. In their case, it’s grown to the point it helps power the airport and they routinely sell energy back to the grid. But again, everything depends on the proposal. How much of that 25 acres would the grid use? Is a developer willing to put anti-reflective coating on panels? 

Airport solar moves forward

The Kenbridge town council will discuss the idea in their meeting this month. Most likely, the three groups will have voted and be able to send out a clearly defined request for proposals next month.