Airport solar project gets last go-ahead

Published 9:18 am Thursday, July 31, 2025

When it comes to airport solar, there’s apparently no problems with it in the Town of Kenbridge. The town organized a public hearing as part of their July 15 council meeting, interested to see where residents stand.

This isn’t an approval on the project itself. That would be much further down the road and would require votes from the county and both towns. Instead, this is asking developers to pitch what they would offer and how they would 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.

This time around, the public hearing came and went with “no public input on the subject at all,” said Kenbridge Town Manager Tony Matthews.

After the hearing, the town council voted in support with the county, agreeing that an RFP (request for proposals) needs to be put out. Kenbridge was the final of the three airport owners to hold their mandatory public hearing on the subject, with Victoria holding its hearing on Tuesday, July 8, and Lunenburg holding its hearing on Thursday, July 10.

A CONVERSATION ABOUT COMMUNITY SOLAR

As a reminder, in adherence with the Code of Virginia §15.2-734 and 15.2- 951, each entity must hold a public hearing to solicit public comment about the (the Lunenburg County Airport) for a potential lease to an authorized offeror for consideration of a future community solar project. The area of the Lunenburg Airport identified for the community solar lease is a “20-25 acre portion in the southeast quadrant, next to the approach to Runway 02,” according to the County’s website.

Solar projects like that proposed for the Lunenburg County Airport have the potential to benefit the community in a variety of ways beyond revenue generated by the lease. These types of solar projects can reduce the County’s environmental footprint, lower energy costs, create jobs, and promote sustainable infrastructure for the future.

Opponents of solar projects often raise concerns about issues like health and safety risks, the immediate impact to wildlife in the area, and liability issues. Opponents also talk about unfavorable lease terms or taxpayer burden that could negatively affect the community financially.

“We shall see what happens if any bids are received,” Matthews told the Dispatch after the public hearing.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR AIRPORT SOLAR?

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?

This is just the first step. Now the county staff reach out and see if developers are interested and what they would offer. In the meantime, work also continues on the county’s solar ordinance.

Victoria, Kenbridge, and the County Administration routinely encourage residents to provide feedback and attend public engagements that impact policy and decision-making. Citizens with questions in Kenbridge can reach out to the Town Hall at 434-677-2452 or the office at 511 E. 5th Ave.