The Northern Virginia Daily

November 28, 2009

Bob Wooten: If solar is the future, proceed carefully

By Bob Wooten

Solar power is a good idea -- in theory.

Alternative energy sources help keep the world green and make America less reliant on foreign oil.

Building a solar power plant in Front Royal also is a good idea -- in theory. It could mean jobs, cheap electricity and new investment for the community.

Front Royal, however, isn't debating a theory -- the town could end up being a big stakeholder in just such a plant at the Royal Phoenix industrial property.

Last spring, officials with SolAVerde Inc. proposed building a solar farm on 150-200 acres to generate power that would be purchased by the town, which runs its own electric department.

Since then, things have changed. A Maryland firm called Standard Solar is merging with SolAVerde. The size has been scaled back to 27 acres. And now it seems the town may be asked to back the project with a multimillion-dollar bond issue.

Front Royal should want a few questions answered at this point:

* Precisely what will taxpayers be on the hook for with a bond issue? We keep hearing the town won't be liable for a dime if the project fails, but so far no specifics have been made public.

* One of the key players in talks with the developers has been Town Manager J. Michael Graham, who says the Town Council should decide by Dec. 21 whether to sign on to the project. Considering the recent acrimony among council members -- much of it involving an unsuccessful attempt to fire Graham -- do they really need to vote just three weeks from now on a proposal the taxpayers haven't yet seen? Why the urgency?

* Has anyone determined independently whether a solar farm of this size in Virginia (as opposed to sunny Nevada, let's say) can deliver the 100 megawatts the town would agree to buy? Has anyone called the whiz kids at Virginia Tech's engineering department to see whether this makes sense?

* Speaking of the Southwest, planned solar farms there are under fire because enormous amounts of water may be needed to cool the facilities. Are there such concerns for Front Royal, which as recently as this fall was under voluntary water conservation measures?

* The two parties can't just spool out an extension cord. What investments will the town have to make to connect to the plant?

* What if a third party -- for instance, a giant utility like Dominion Power -- makes the developers an offer the can't refuse. Dominion might prefer to buy out a fledgling solar competitor and shelve the whole project. What becomes of all that wonderful industrial property in this case -- or if the project fails for other reasons?

* One councilman has arranged with developers to have people associated with the project patronize his bed and breakfast when they come to town. Some of his colleagues say that creates an appearance of a conflict of interest. Is anyone else at town hall looking at the project with more than pure civic interest in mind? Maybe with visions of a lucrative career in the solar energy field?

Town officials should shed some light on these questions before inking a deal. Sunshine, as they say, is the best disinfectant.