Solar Power Project

The Vermont Public Utility Commission has denied a solar power developer a permit to construct a 144-kilowatt project in Charlotte, Vermont, because it would have obstructed iconic western views of Mount Philo State Park.

In its order, the commission agreed with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the Vermont Department of Public Service, and the Town of Charlotte that the proposed solar project, if built, "would materially interfere with the public's use and enjoyment of the Park," given that sightseeing from the summit is a principal reason why people visit the Park in the first place.

The project sponsor had claimed that denial of its application due purely to the effect the facility might have on recreational activities was beyond the scope of statutory aesthetic review standards, but the commission rejected the developer's arguments. It explained that its analysis had encompassed not just aesthetic factors, but such other considerations as surrounding land uses, recreational activities, and the opinion of relevant state agencies.

The proposed solar project would have bordered the Ethan Allen Highway approximately eight-tenths of a mile from the base of Mount Philo and would have been situated in the middle of the foreground of the view from Mount Philo State Park looking west to Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains.

The project would have consisted of 650 groundmounted solar panels, standing approximately nine feet tall at the highest point, and would have occupied about one acre of land. (CPG No. NM-6691)