Solar field and wastewater treatment upgrades take shape

Courtesy Photo/Town of Front Royal

This aerial photo taken on April 14 shows the confluence of projects at the end of Manassas Avenue in Front Royal.

At upper right is the Town’s new 15-acre solar power field that will produce 2.7 megawatts of power, enough to service 350 homes; and at the center is the Town’s wastewater treatment facility, undergoing about $40-million in state and federally-mandated upgrades.

The Town’s Energy Services Department headquarters lies below the solar field and the Public Works complex is below the WWTP.  In the bottom half of the photo are the various youth league baseball parks, tennis and basketball courts and the Stokes community swimming pool.

As we reported in February, the solar power will be produced by 10,523 modules supported by 1,356 pier units on the 15-acre site.

Photos of solar site from our February visit. Photos/Roger Bianchini

The solar project is being developed as part of the American Municipal Power cooperative the Town has been part of for over a decade.  That 30-odd municipality cooperative is now based in seven states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky.

Front Royal’s Solar Farm contract with AMP includes development, ownership and on-site management of all AMP Solar Fields for 30 years by NextEra.  Information provided by AMP indicates that NextEra is currently one of the nation’s largest generators of solar energy.  The primary on-site subcontractor is Power Secure.

A ground level shot of work at the waste-water treatment plant, taken in February.

NextEra currently controls approximately 785 Megawatts of solar-generated power; has a $45-billion dollar market capitalization; and a One-Double-A credit rating.

The Town has the option to buy the solar field here after 30 years.

Front Royal was listed as the second of six “First Tier” AMP solar sites that will produce a total of 25.7 megawatts of solar power.  An additional 24 “Tier Two” solar sites will eventually produce another 75 megawatts.

Target date for completion of the solar field was April 1. All of the energy produced at the solar site will be used by the Town, which will realize additional energy savings in not having to pay transmission fees for the electricity it is generating on site.