Henry County residents will have the chance to voice their opinions on a pair of solar farms.Henry County’s Board of Zoning and Appeals will hold two public hearings during their 1 p.m. regular session on Wednesday at the County Administration Building. The public hearings will be for two special use permits to construct large-scale solar energy facilities. New Energy Equity, based in Maryland, is the applicant for both special use permits. The proposed solar farms are planned for adjacent properties located to the east of Meadowood Trail in the Horsepasture District. The first proposal is for a 4 MW solar facility on 27 acres. The second proposal is for a 2 MW facility on 18.9 acres. New Energy Equity will have to abide by land preservation regulations. These include preserving to the greatest extent existing tree growth. Once a concept plan is submitted, the site must be developed in accordance with the plan. A siting agreement must also be submitted and approved by the Henry County Board of Supervisors. Both parcels are currently zoned as A-1 Agricultural Districts and are owned by Marvin McNeese. New Energy Equity will lease the property. Grif Jones of New Energy Equity talked to Cardinal News about the reasoning behind choosing the parcel as the project’s location. If approved, this project will be among 15 others throughout the county.“The way we select an area is we look at the transmission lines and the capacity on those lines,” Jones said, later adding, “if there are no electrical lines there is no point in us targeting that area.” Owners of adjacent properties have been notified of the request. They and the public will have the chance to voice their support or concerns at the public hearing. The post Agenda Henry County: 2 large-scale solar farms up for discussion Wednesday appeared first on Cardinal News.