The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) has approved an agreement allowing Frasier Solar LLC to construct a 120-megawatt solar-powered electric generation facility in Clinton and Miller townships, Knox County. The decision was made on June 26.
According to a news release, Frasier Solar is required to adhere to 62 conditions aimed at minimizing potential impacts during the construction and operation of the facility. These conditions include installing agricultural-style perimeter fencing, implementing 50-foot setbacks from non-participating property boundaries, and maintaining a distance of 300 feet from non-participating residences. Additionally, the company must post a decommissioning bond to ensure the removal of the facility at the end of its useful life. The parties involved in this agreement include the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Unions 688 and 1105, and the Ohio Environmental Council.
The release further details that the Frasier Solar facility will feature arrays of photovoltaic modules, commonly known as solar panels, mounted on a tracking rack system. The facility will cover approximately 840 acres within a 1,395-acre project area and will include associated infrastructure such as access roads, electric collection lines, weather stations, inverters and transformers, a collector substation, and a 69-kilovolt electric generation interconnection line.
Additionally, according to the release, another solar project in Highland County has been approved by OPSB. The New Market Solar Project will incorporate an operations and maintenance building into its facility. Firelands Wind LLC is set to add lidar equipment for meteorological data collection along with associated access roads and electric service and communications lines. Temporary monitoring masts will also be added to its Emerson Creek Wind Project in Erie and Huron counties.
