OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen Dan Compitello, Project Developer for Delaware River Solar, LLC, presented the updated plans for the proposed NY Hanover I solar energy system at a recent meeting of the Hanover Town Board.

HANOVER — Late this past year, the Town Board took a strong stance against a solar energy project’s requested variances. At the most recent meeting, the same project came before the board again, with a much different situation.

At a recent public hearing for a Special Use Permit and approval of the site plan for the proposed NY Hanover I solar energy system, the Town Board heard the updated plans for the project it initially pushed back on nearly a year ago.

“This is a different proposal from what we described before. We were able to adjust the project to remove all of the setback variances that we requested before. The project is now fully code compliant. It does meet all of the setback criteria and all other parameters of the town code,” said Dan Compitello, project developer for Delaware River Solar, LLC.

The 2.7-Megawatt AC solar farm is located at 12171 Hanover Road, Silver Creek in the town of Hanover, on a 61.3-acre parcel of agricultural land and young growth forest, of which 13.98 acres will be utilized for the project.

When Compitello addressed the Town Board regarding the project last November, the discussion lasted more than 45 minutes. However, at the most recent public hearing, things went much smoother. The public hearing in its entirety lasted less than 10 minutes.

The project, which previously requested variances of 74 feet, 80 feet, and 92 feet from the 200-foot setback requirement in the town’s zoning code, now does not require a variance. The developers reconfigured the design of the project to fit within each of the town’s specifications, and in doing so, the project did not lose any of its originally proposed capabilities.

“We were able to resize and reshape the project on the land,” said Compitello. “We were able to design the project around what’s there now.”

An access road will be located off Hanover Road, which will provide access to each of the solar panel arrays associated with the project, notably for emergency vehicles in the event of an incident.

“The project is very passive,” according to Compitello, who stated the project has motors that track the sun throughout the day to receive the most sunlight possible. Compitello also stated the system will be inaudible to people outside of the confines of the project.

The project has an expected life of 25 to 30 years, according to Compitello. At the end of its lifespan, it will be decommissioned by the terms and conditions set forth in the decommissioning plan submitted with the Special Use Permit application and site plans. The solar panels are made of glass, aluminum, and silicone, held up by steel posts.

“Right now, there are ways to recycle these. That will just grow over the years,” Compitello said.

If Delaware River Solar, LLC were to declare bankruptcy, the Special Use Permit would transfer to the entity assuming the project. “There are mechanisms in place to ensure this will stay operational,” Compitello said.

Compitello claimed the project will power roughly 1,000 homes. Combined with the Angell Road solar project, also in the town of Hanover and overseen by Compitello, the two projects together have the capability to power roughly 2,500 homes.

Residents of the town and nearby communities will receive a 5% discount on their energy bills each month after enrolling in the program, available online through Delaware River Solar’s website or through www.meadow.energy

At the previous presentation of the project before the project was redesigned, Deputy Supervisor Lou Pelletter said, “We’re all for solar. But the planning board spent two years on this solar law to make it so everybody would be happy. Then you have the precedent that would be set if we violate that to an extreme.”

Pelletter was far from the only member of the board to take issue with the project in its initial design. Town Supervisor Todd Johnson said, regarding the variance requests, “When you’re almost going in half at 92 feet, then we’re looking at another setback of 74, another setback of 80, I’m wondering why I’m sitting here tonight talking about this. … We put laws in place not to circumvent them. When we’re looking at this much of a variance, this is almost absurd.”

Johnson later stated he would have considered a minor setback variance, but called what the original plans requested “a slap in the face to people who worked for two years coming up with our local laws.”

At the time, members of the audience applauded Johnson’s stance on the matter. The representatives in attendance, including Compitello, then went back to the drawing board and came up with a plan that Compitello was pleased to share a second time. “We’re really thankful that we were able to meet the setback criteria so that it all fits within the town code,” Compitello said.

Pelletter, acting as Supervisor in Johnson’s absence at the recent meeting, responded, “I appreciate that.”

No action was taken on the project at the meeting after the public hearing was held. As the Town of Hanover had previously just declared itself the lead agent under the State Environmental Quality Review for the purposes of the application for a special use permit. As a result, the town is still awaiting a response from Chautauqua County on the project. The county’s Division of Planning and Community Development had just recently received the 239 Planning/Zoning Referral Form prior to the public hearing.