Residents who’d live near a solar array proposed in Muncy Creek Township sought to hear about the nuisance and safety risks of the plan at a continued conditional use hearing this week.

These solar arrays are appearing all over Lycoming County, but Bollinger Solar’s plan includes a farm with 350,000 chickens laying eggs for local and regional use. It’s called agrivoltaic and would be a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) and solar farm. The free-range chickens could walk near and under the solar panels.

Supervisors recently held a continued conditional-use hearing for the joint venture on the solar portion of the project along Clarkstown Road. The joint venture between Fogelman and Muncy Exchange roads is by the Bollinger and Wagner families of Lancaster County and would be identified as Sunny Side Up Farms LLC.

Ken Walton, of MVE (Meadow Valley Electric), said the solar project would be 11 separate solar arrays producing 33 megawatts, or nine in the 3-mw range and two in the 2-plus mw range. Megawatt is 1 million watts, he said.

The solar arrays would be monitored remotely, he said.

PPL would not monitor them. The utility monitors its “protective devices,” Walton said.

For example, should a short circuit happen the “recloser” will open, shutting down power, he said.

If a ground fire happens a fire and emergency response plan is in place. The plan calls for use of an access road and areas for fire engines to be able to turn and maneuver in and out of the property.

The plan shows four different locations for fire trucks and maintenance vehicles.

There would be landscaping done to hide the arrays as much as possible. There would be a fence built using National Electric Code and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. The proposed chicken barns and farm have separate fencing.

Solar company contacts are on the gate.

The time from start of installation to completion would vary but it could be two to three years.

Various equipment on the farm has different life spans. The inverters typically need to be replaced in 15 years. It is predicted one would need to be replaced during operation of the solar arrays, which are estimated to be functional for twice that amount of time. If not damaged they can have 85 % efficiency in 25 years.

To a question about ownership, the owner of MVE is a minor partner in Bollinger Solar, Walton said.

MVE would be responsible for placement of electrical components.

Walton said the company is “hoping the utility infrastructure will be underground.”

But he noted, “We don’t control that … Typically, they’ll oblige us.”

“Why isn’t it proposed as 11 separate projects as a subdivision?” asked Layne Oden, who lives nearby and is an attorney.

Gary Phillips, a township supervisor who was asked to recuse himself in this vote, clarified the access road discussed was over 3,800 feet or about three-quarters of a mile in length.

If there would be overhead utility infrastructure that would be about 19 poles every 200 feet along the side of the access road, he said.

Supervisor Eric Newcomer asked questions relative to the voltage need for the three-phase interconnection on Clarkstown Road.

He also had Walton explain how the panels are self-cleaning with rain and can on occasion require scrubbing and/or power washing.

Walton also said the preference is fixed tilt instead of a single axis tracker system.

That is because there is a chance the tracker system motors can fail or malfunction.

Michael Wiley, township supervisors’ counsel, asked Walton to clarify the potential number of poles on Clarkstown Road. It appears on the plan two poles closer to Interstate 180 overpass and five to seven nearer to an existing horse barn.

The continued hearing on the proposed solar project is 6 p.m. on July 23 at the Muncy Area Volunteer Fire station 39 headquarters on East Penn Street. The chicken farm (CAFO) conditional use hearing will be at 6 p.m. on July 15 at the fire station.