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After a lengthy discussion, the Suffolk City Council voted 7-1 on Jan. 15 to approve a conditional use permit for a solar project on Crittenden Road.

The council spent a lot of time asking questions regarding the sound from the project. They hope to avoid a situation like White Marsh Road, where the loud humming of a solar farm from a different company has caused complaints from neighbors. Council member Timothy Johnson voted against it. 

The solar farm, officially named the Secretariat Solar Project, will be located on a 25-acre plot of land adjacent to Wendy and John Parker’s horse boarding facility at 6100 Crittenden Road.

Ester Rekhelman, a senior project developer with Hexagon Energy, said the Secretariat project will power up to 600 homes. 

“The project is designed to improve the environment, complement the area and be hidden from view,” Rekhelman said. “The solar farm will have no impact on surrounding natural areas or neighbors, and, most importantly, allow the equestrian farm to keep operating.”

Rekhelman specifically mentioned the Stratford Solar Project on White Marsh Road, noting comparing the projects was like comparing apples and oranges. 

“I want to emphasize that our project is different in terms of size and equipment placement compared to that other project,” Rekhelman said. “The noise-generating equipment on our project is over 800 feet away from Crittenden Road and over 1000 feet away from the nearest residents. Unlike that project, our facility will be utilizing what is called string inverters that are significantly quieter than a central inverter.”

She added that the sound generated by the equipment on the solar farm is 31 decibels.

“That’s the sound of the quietest room in your house without the HVAC on,” Rekhelman said.

If the project exceeds the noise level from its study, then it will be forced to mitigate the noise within 30 days at the applicant’s expense.  

Tiffany Alexander and her husband, Shane, both spoke in opposition to the project. The Alexanders live across the street from the project on White Marsh Road, and Tiffany said previously it has impacted her health. At a previous council meeting, she played an audio clip of the constant noise the family hears from the project across the street.

However, even as opponents to any solar farm project, both Alexanders conceded that this one appeared different from the Stratford Project. 

“I’m very impressed with [Rekhelman’s introduction to this and that there is a whole lot more being looked into these different solar panels, as my husband said, but I’ll forever be against them, from what I’ve had to deal with health-wise, personally, and how it has changed our life dramatically … So it’s something that I can never, ever agree with,” Tiffany said.

Council member Shelley Butler Barlow said she is not a fan of solar, but she believes this project has met all requirements of the ordinance. Therefore, she made the initial motion to approve the project.

“We have made these changes to our solar ordinances in good ways and for good reasons, and I think that this particular project has met and exceeded the current requirements of our ordinances,” Butler Barlow said. “I think with a few exceptions, the nearest neighbors were given ample opportunities to ask questions, to speak, and I’ve actually gotten — four or five — of the nearest neighbors who have called me in support of this project.”

In voting against it, Johnson expressed concerns about the short lifespan of Hexagon Energy as a company, the long-term outlook of a completed solar project, and the city’s options.

“I’m having a hard time agreeing to a project when the company that’s putting this forth has only been in business nine years,” Johnson said. “Thirty years from now, 20 years from now — most businesses don’t stay in business that long — but 30 years from now when we’re ready to knock this thing down, I’m not convinced that we can. I know that’s what the state says, and that’s what everybody’s saying, but I am not convinced.”

Mayor Michael Duman said the applicant had done more than required by the city’s ordinance in producing a thorough sound study. He said a comprehensive sound study should be required for all solar projects considered in the future. 

“So this is over and above what would be required within our own ordinance, and basically does for this project what we probably need to have within our own ordinance moving forward,” Duman said.