Chester planners invite public for presentation on proposed solar field

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

A large solar farm is being proposed for a cornfield off from Route 103 south, and the Chester Planning Commission is inviting the public to a presentation by the developers, Savage Solar Energy, on Monday, Aug. 11.

Commission chair Hugh Quinn said the purpose of the meeting is to hear about the project, ask questions and raise any concerns members of the public might have.

According to a notice sent out ahead of petitioning the Vermont Public Utilities Commission for a certificate of public good, Savage Solar said that it is looking for approval of a 2.75 megawatt solar facility located on 14 acres south of the large field owned by American Legion Post 67 in Chester. The notice says the project will consist of approximately 7,200 panels mounted on fixed racks in rows running east and west with panels facing south. The bottom of the panels will be 1 foot above the base flood level and the top no more than 13 feet above the ground.

By comparison, the solar field that the Town of Chester is set to buy from its developers is .5 megawatts and sits on 4 acres of land.

While the project is mostly obscured from the road while the leaves are on the trees, the developers say that “existing vegetation will provide substantial screening” when the leaves fall. The notice also states that “landscape mitigation” is proposed for some areas where the project is visible.

The developers say they intend to file a petition with the Public Utility Commission “no sooner than Aug. 25, 2025.” Comments to the PUC from Chester Planning and the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission are due within 40 days of the developers’ notice, which was dated Friday, July 11. Savage Solar Energy says its petition will address any written comments in response to the notice as well as oral comments from any public hearing convened by the Planning Commission.

Information about the process and participation in it is available at the PUC’s website. Click here for the link.

While the town and the public may ask questions about the project and make suggestions, state law has established that Chester has little to no authority over the project and that’s reflected in the town’s Unified Development Bylaws:

Development associated with utility, energy or telecommunications infrastructure that receives a Certificate of Public Good from the Vermont Public Utilities Commission is exempt from these bylaws.

The special meeting of the Chester Planning Commission will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Aug. 11 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street. Information about the project is available from the Zoning Administrator.