Schuylkill County's solar surge: 8 projects proposed on coal lands, farm fields

Oct. 28—With electrifying suddenness, Schuylkill County is undergoing a solar surge.

In recent months, eight solar projects have been announced and are at various stages of gaining preliminary approval.

Destined for sites that range from backfilled former strip mines in the north to barren farmland in the south, they represent a new wave of potential renewable energy production in the county.

In the forefront of the move to generate electricity from the sun's rays is the region's largest producer of coal products, Pottsville-based Reading Anthracite Co.

In the works on former mining tracts are solar arrays in Branch, Cass, Foster, New Castle, Schuylkill and West Mahanoy townships, according to Shawn Ziegler, Reading's vice president of finance.

A solar project on land owned by Metz Properties off Route 61 in North Manheim Twp. has cleared an initial hurdle, while a 3-megawatt solar array has been proposed on about 40 acres north of Route 443 in Orwigsburg.

The growing interest in solar comes, at least in part, due to a federal initiative launched when President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022.

Ellie Kerns, a climate and clean energy campaign associate at the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center in Philadelphia, said the act provides an array of grants, tax credits and rebates for renewable energy projects.

Anecdotally, Kerns said, she has seen a growth in solar projects in the year since the federal incentives became law.

"People are making use of it," she said. "There are so many more projects."

Coal to solar

Over the years, Reading Anthracite has worked steadily to make productive use of former coal lands.

The projects have included constructing co-generation plants that burn acidic coal waste, reclaiming the large mine pit to make way for Coal Creek Commerce Center in Saint Clair and, just this year, a proposed housing development in Foster Twp.

The company's latest land reclamation venture involves solar energy.

"We will now be able to utilize our coal lands to provide a renewable energy product to the power grid to reduce our country's dependence on traditional power generation," said Ziegler, coordinator of the solar venture.

Investment tax credits under the reduction act, Ziegler said, incentivized private industry to invest in renewable energy, such as solar.

"The new legislation passed by Congress has encouraged Reading Anthracite to build several solar arrays on our property," he said, "which is consistent with our inventive and entrepreneurial culture of utilizing our non-core land holdings to their fullest potential."

The company's solar projects total about 65 acres, Ziegler estimated. It could be a year to 15 months before any of the projects work through regulatory measures and come online, he said.

State Rep. Jamie Barton, R-124, East Brunswick Twp., supports installing solar projects on properties with limited use.

"Former mine sites make perfect places for solar projects because they are not conducive to growing crops," said Barton, who has 33 years of experience as an executive in the energy industry.

A vocal supporter of fossil fuels as energy sources, Barton also thinks it's important to embrace all forms of alternative and renewable energy.

"Certainly," he said, "solar is an integral part of the equation."

As long as the zoning process is thorough, Barton encourages energy producers to continue the important work of powering Pennsylvania.

Support site specific

When Ken Smith proposed erecting solar arrays on farmland he owns in West Brunswick Twp. late last year, the township meeting room was packed with opponents of the project.

In December, residents similarly opposed the installation of about 2,500 solar panels along Municipal Road, across from the West Brunswick Twp. municipal building.

And last week, several residents of West Market Street raised objections to the proposed project in Orwigsburg.

The opposition in southern Schuylkill County suggests a sensitivity to locating solar projects on farmland, even if it's unproductive land.

Tim Mills, senior project developer for Massachusetts-based New Leaf Energy, said the mood surrounding solar projects is site specific.

New Leaf proposes placement of two solar arrays side-by-side on about 30 acres in North Manheim Twp. The company has secured a variance for the site, north of Route 61 on a hillside west of Renninger's Farmers Market. The project would generate from 2 to 5 megawatts of electricity for PPL, which is reviewing the proposal.

If approved, Mills said, New Leaf Energy anticipates construction would begin in late 2024 or early 2025.

In his experience, Mills said, projects of 30 acres or less have seen less resistance than large grid-scale projects that can occupy hundreds of acres.

New Leaf has projects that incorporate agrivoltaics, which utilizes the land for both agriculture and solar production. Livestock, often sheep, are allowed to graze among the photovoltaic panels, controlling the growth of vegetation.

"I've seen a ton of interest from landowners that are seeking to keep land in their family long term," Mills said, "and have stable resources not tied to commodity crops that can fluctuate year to year."

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007