A local developer is eyeing introduction of a series of cutting-edge farm operations in Newfane.
Wielslaw Walawender appeared in front of the town’s planning board Wednesday to lay out his preliminary plan to develop an agrivoltaic operation, Wells AllNatural Farms.
Walawender would use his 30-acre property on Drake Settlement Road for crop production and solar energy generation simultaneously. The property is zoned for rural residential occupation.
“This seems to be a new technology,” planning board chairman Bill Clark observed. “There was a question because of how we would handle it in our zoning ordinance. There’s a lot of differences between what’s allowed on a farm and what’s allowed on non farm property. And so we have to make that distinction.”
Walawender said the first phase of development would include construction of six buildings and roadway access for trucks to bring in shipping containers that would be used to grow, store and transport crops.
“(The containers are) a completely controlled environment from the outside, so you have pretty much a mimicking of what’s happened in a greenhouse,” Walawender said.
The second phase, two years later, would include outdoor soil preparation and planting, through seed injection as opposed to tilling the soil, Walawender said.
The third phase would involve installation of a ground-mounted solar array on the property, with crops including various fruits grown underneath the solar panels, plus installation of a roof-mounted solar panels on a greenhouse. The panels would be connected to the grid and battery systems would installed as well.
According to Clark, it is not until the third phase that Walawender would need the approval of the planning board, due to provisions of the the town’s solar siting law.
“We think that the solar installation falls under the purview of our solar law as a tier two application where he’s producing solar power on site for his own use (while) farming the crops but there would be some excess power,” Clark said.
While Walawander did not provide specific information to the board about the number of solar panels he’s contemplating or how much energy they would generate, he did say the panels would span more than 1,000 square feet on the property.
Clark said the board has taken an interest in the project, but Walawander will have to appear in front of the board again before they make any decisions on it.
“Everything will have to be laid out through surveyed drawings with dimensions and specifications… just like any project in the town. He’ll have to present us more specific plans and diagrams about where things are going to go (on the property),” he said.