The Warren Sentinel

July 02, 2009

'Greener' county

By: Karina Gianola

WARREN COUNTY — The possibility of Front Royal becoming home to one of the largest solar energy projects on the East Coast moved closer to reality on Tuesday.

For the past seven months, Greg Horton and Willie Lauterbach have been busy researching solar energy. The partners created SolAVerde, Inc., and hope to both manufacture solar panels and operate a solar power field. Their plan, which they have been busy promoting in recent weeks, is to provide enough energy to power the town of Front Royal and surrounding areas.

Earlier this month, Lauterbach, Horton and Town Manager Mike Graham spoke to the town council about the project. On Tuesday, during a special meeting of the Economic Development Authority Board of Directors, the group again made their presentation.

“From my perspective, I’m moving forward,” Lauterbach said. “I think there are still issues to be resolved. There are plenty of things still out there that we haven’t finalized, but we are moving forward full speed.”

At the EDA meeting, the board met in closed session to discuss “the acquisition of real property for a public purpose or the disposition of publicly held real property.” According to the meeting agenda, this discussion was limited to parcels within the Happy Creek Technology Park or the Royal Phoenix site. Following their closed discussion, said EDA attorney Blair Mitchell, the board passed a motion to endorse the concept of the SolAVerde project. They also asked that executive director Jennifer McDonald continue discussions with the company about the potential sale of EDA-controlled (but not necessarily owned) property.

The SolAVerde project, if it proceeds, will likely begin in October. Horton said they are considering several pieces of land, including a parcel on the old Avtex site. To power the town, the company would need somewhere around 150 acres to install the panels. Once up and running, SolAVerde would sell any power generated to the town. Anything above the town’s needs could then be sold into the power grid.

Horton said choosing Front Royal for the project was something like divine intervention. He is a long-term resident, and owns and operates Arctic Air Refrigeration on Commerce Avenue.

“If you were to pick a place, this wouldn’t typically be the place you would pick,” Horton said. But this is home to a large federal superfund site (a program that cleans up hazardous waste areas—in this case, the Avtex plant area). Horton said moving from that to one of the greenest areas of the country has a certain symmetry to it.

SolAVerde also plans to manufacture solar panels. Once a somewhat dirty process, Horton said the technology has changed and advanced. Between the construction and maintenance of the solar field, and the manufacturing process, the company hopes to create and sustain somewhere near 200 jobs.

“It’s positive. It’s moving forward. It’s a great opportunity for the town and the county,” Horton said. “I have gotten 100 percent positive feedback.”