By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                A 715-acre solar farm near Chiefland was unanimously approved by the Levy County Commission Tuesday.

            The commercial solar facility will be constructed mainly on property owned by the Hardee and Peterson families within eyesight of the Central Florida Electric Cooperative office and Southern Leisure RV Resort.

            The project name for the solar farm is Levy Solar I, LLC.

            Savion, a Kansas City based company that specializes in building electric utility-sized solar farms expects to begin construction in January of 2022 and have the facility operating by December of that year.

            The life of a solar farm is estimated to be 30 to 40 years.        

            Duke Energy is expected to purchase the finished facility and operate it. The 74.9 megawatt solar farm is projected to generate enough energy from sunlight to power 19,000 Florida homes.

            Each solar panel is mounted to a frame that slowly tilts to track the sun from sunrise to sunset. The panels are also designed to capture sunlight reflected from native grass planted beneath the panels. As much as 13 percent of additional solar energy can be captured from reflected sunlight.

            Based on the current design, 215,000 solar panels will be installed on the facility. 

              Erich Miarka, senior development manager for Savion, said the solar farm would produce $440,000 of property tax revenue for county government in the first year it opens. The farm equipment will depreciate in value over the years resulting in less revenue.

            Miarka said Savion has agreed to develop a “decommissioning plan” to ensure the county isn’t left holding the bag if the owner ever goes bankrupt or simply walks away. The county wants enough money set aside by the owner/developer to pay for removing the equipment and underground wiring and returning the site to farmland.

            “I can come up with a number of reasons why I would like to have some of that $100 million of copper, aluminum, and steel from the property, but for the county to feel comfortable that’s something we agreed to with Ms. Brown,” Miarka said. He was referring to County Attorney Ann Bast Brown.

            The solar panels and other infrastructure connected to the farm including 24 inverters and a maintenance facility will be contained within 407 acres of land surrounded by a 7-foot chain-link fence. Security cameras will protect the property. Security officers can be added if problems arise.

            Chris Hardee, representing his wife Frannie and their children as well as his sister and brother-in-law Diane and Hank Peterson, said the decision to sell the family-owned property for use as a solar farm was “bittersweet.”

            Hardee said his father and grandfather began slowly purchasing pieces of land for the farm after his father, the late Charles Hardee, returned from war. Their intent was to use the land for farming purposes. They never dreamed of doing anything else with the land, but Hardee said times have changed.

            He said his three oldest children informed him and his wife that they were moving west and not coming back. Their absence and the longing to move closer to their children and grandchildren factored heavily into the decision to sell the property. The fact that two natural gas lines now pass through the property and an RV resort has sprouted just across the road also figured into their decision-making.

            “There are more moons in the rearview mirror than front glass,” Hardee said. “We are desiring to make a change to be closer to family and yet still maintain a scaled-down agriculture operation on the existing place.”

            Hardee said the family was first approached in 2017 about the possibility of a solar facility being constructed on their farm. He said he just passed it off at first as someone just “kickin’ the tires” rather than having a serious interest in building a solar farm.

            At one point he approached Duke Energy and they indicated that the project was viable at the particular location that was being discussed.

            “I asked, tell me is it viable, can you do that, and the guy (at Duke Energy) said this is one of the primary spots in Levy County that has the infrastructure that we would like to work with,” Hardee said. He also asked the Duke official to name the best company. Savion was mentioned.

            Hardee said his family has had the privilege of being the owners and stewards of the property for seven decades. He said they would love to continue growing cattle, soybeans and watermelons on the property but times are changing and he and his wife want to be closer to family.

            “Some of the folks thought he’s bluffing,” Hardee said, describing what other people were thinking he wouldn’t do. “He’s not willing to do it, but your family and your grandkids are calling you home, so we’re at that point. I think we have a good partner with Savion. I felt even more comfortable when I knew Duke would be the owner.”

            Neighbor Loran Brookins, also a farmer, encouraged commissioners to approve the solar farm.

            “What are y’all waiting on? This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Brookins said.

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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting February 16, 2021; Posted February 17, 2021.