HADLEY — Two more agrivoltaic solar projects, which will generate renewable energy while allowing farmers to continue using the land below them for agricultural purposes, are being proposed on Hadley farmland.
Both developments, pitched by Solar Collective Agrivoltaics of New York and to be completed through the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program, were presented to the Planning Board at its Aug. 19 meeting.
Jackie Boyer, environmental planning specialist for Beals and Thomas in New Hampshire, said that 3½ acres of the 9 acres at Plainville Farm, 135 Mount Warner Road, will be set aside for the solar panels and will be minimally intrusive to the current agricultural uses.
That site will be largely shielded from the road, set behind existing buildings and near the tree lines, though planners suggested more screening may be needed from a neighboring residential neighborhood.
The second project would be at Parsons Farm, 143 Mill Valley Road, and be slightly smaller, or 1.8 acres on a 95-acre property. That project is located in the interior of the property and away from abutters and the road. Sheep grazing will continue under the panels.
Neither project will have battery storage, an exemption under the state law.
Both projects will be reviewed by the Planning Board and, due to the proximity to the Fort River at the Parsons Farm, by the Conservation Commission.
In July, another dual-use solar project was proposed for farmland at 415 River Drive , which would have 1,248 panels and produce 680 kilowatts of direct current energy. A 2.2-acre agrivoltaic solar project is already operating off Shattuck Road.
Other business
Planners also approved a business use in the aquifer protection district and signs for Shinjuku Sushi, to be located at 173 Russell St., the former Hillside Pizza site. The restaurant is expected to open by early September.
Finally, the board approved site improvements, including for online orders, for the parking lot at the Walmart store at Mountain Farms Mall. There will be 13 parking spaces reserved for these customers, as well as new signs installed throughout the lot to make it safer for pedestrians and vehicles.