Solar array project close to completion in Wheatfield

By Benjamin Joe

The solar array project on 3636 Mapleton Road in Wheatfield is nearing completion, said Patrick Dvoran, regional director of renewable energy for RowCon, which is contracting on the project.

“The actual panels will be installed next month, and (work) will continue for electrical and construction,” he said. “So, probably that will be done as of mid-June this year.”

When the project is done, a 7.41-megawatt solar array will stretch out over approximately 40 acres of a 70-acre lot.

Approval for construction was made by the Wheatfield Planning Board in 2022.

Most recently, Kyle Sullivan, project manager for RowCon, asked the Planning Board for permission to adapt its original plan from holding transporters on poles rather than under the ground. The adaptation was approved Feb. 5.

The lease and agreement for the solar array is overseen by Madison Energy Infrastructure, which now owns the project. Vice President of Construction Jerry Murphy said the company is interested in renewable energy projects, and works with over 400 across the U.S.

“Our intention is to be a good neighbor without being any kind of burden to the town. It’s a win-win for everybody,” he said.

RowCon is the contractor hired by Madison Energy Infrastructure. It is a subsidiary of Phillips infrastructure Holdings, as is Phillips & Jordan.

Dvoran said the woman-owned company, which has been in business for approximately 70 years, also is committed to renewable energy.

Murphy estimated 7,000 homes will be powered by the project.

The path to this point of the solar array’s construction has had bumps along the way. One was the mistaken design to place solar panels in an old cemetery. There were also several neighbors who were opposed to the project.

Planning Board Chair Susan Agnello-Eberwein, who has witnessed the project’s approval process since its beginning, said, “At one point in time, we learned there was a private cemetery back there and they wanted to go back on that property, and there’s no way we can allow them to do anything. It’s undisturbed ground. There were also problems with the neighbors. They didn’t want to look back in their yard and see these kind of panels. We eventually told them, ‘Do you want a subdivision? Or do you want this?’ ”