The Bellflower Solar Farm just south of U.S. Hwy 40, in between Dunrieth and Lewisville, could be operation by the end of the year.
The 173-megawatt project is owned by Lightsource bp and covers about 1,400 acres of southern Henry and northern Rush Counties.
The project was first announced in September 2020. Lightsource bp had been developing the project with landowners for about a year before approaching the Henry County government.
Lightsource bp expects the full solar project to generate enough electricity every year to power the equivalent of 28,000 homes every year. At the same time, Bellflower should reduce 223,440 metric tons of CO2 emissions from the air that would have been created burning fossil fuels.
Mary Grikas, the Vice President ad Head of Marketing & Communications of Lightsource bp Americas, said construction of the Bellflower project is moving along well.
She said physical construction of the Bellflower Solar Farm is complete. Testing and commissioning of the project underway.
“During peak construction, we’ve had 300 workers on site,” Grikas said.
Grikas said the company is continuing to move forward with activities in support of the Department of Energy Research that will be happening on site. Some of these activities will include local community members as participants.
“The site is being prepared for sheep grazing on approximately 100 acres, with grazing to start in 2023, contracted with a local sheep producer,” Grikas said. “The areas where the sheep will be grazing will be seeded with a grass/forb/legume forage seed mix specially designed for the site and region, to support proper nutrition for the flock of sheep.”
There will also be apiaries on site, with local bee keeping and honey production.
“We’re in discussions with a local beekeeper and expect to finalize details in 2023,” Grikas said.
Bellflower is moving forward with 10 acres of “high value pollinator gardens.” Grikas said more than 50 varieties of plants in the pollinator gardens will include species such as milkweed, coneflowers, and sunflowers.
“There will be several seed study plots on about 1.5 acres of land, with several different seed mixes to gather data for the research,” she said. The remainder of the site will be seeded with a custom mix that includes various grasses and clover, to also support pollinators.”
Lightsource bp is also working with the Henry and Rush County Community Foundations allocate funding from the $100,000 community fund the company committed to during the project’s development.
“The funds will be allocated specifically for the local fire departments and schools,” Grikas said.
Lightsource bp entered into a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Verizon Communications Inc. in March 2021.
Bellflower Solar is expected to generate $30 million in property tax revenue to Rush and Henry Counties over its 25+ year life.
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