SUFFOLK, Va. — Neighbors are continuing to complain about the noise generated by a solar farm located off White Marsh Road and now WTKR News 3 is talking with a city official about how the farms are regulated.
"The noise, quite frankly, is driving me nuts," neighbor Nick Creasy told News 3.
The solar farm emits a high-pitched humming sound, which residents describe as particularly bothersome.
"It's not really a decibel thing; it's more of a frequency," said another neighbor named Shane Alexander. "The longer it runs, the more irritating it is."
Watch previous coverage: Suffolk neighbors irritated by solar farm noise
Earlier this year, News 3 first reported on their complaints, and they maintain that noise remains an ongoing issue.
The Stratford Solar Project is designed to contribute to clean energy efforts by powering homes in the area.
The developer, Pinegate Renewables, has said they are working to mitigate the noise.
To gain a broader perspective on the situation, News 3 spoke with Suffolk's Director of Planning and Community Development. "We have worked really closely with the developers of the White Marsh solar facility to ensure they can do everything within their power and we can do everything in our power to mitigate any potential noise," Kevin Wyne said.
The solar projects require approval from the city council, which has greenlit nine solar farms to date.
To maintain agricultural land use balance, the city is capping the area dedicated to solar farms at just 1 percent of all agricultural land.
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So far, they're about a third through that.
"We are actively working on noise particularly as it relates to solar energy facilities now so that we can better regulate them moving forward to ensure they can operate in harmony with the communities in which they are located," said Wyne.
The White Marsh development serves as a learning opportunity for similar projects in the future. "As it relates to other solar facilities, I think what we've come to the conclusion with the White Marsh one is the location of the inverters on the perimeter of the site, primarily adjacent to White Marsh Road, is something that we would like to prohibit moving forward," said Wyne.
In the meantime, residents hope for a resolution to the noise issue. "I just want the noise stopped. We gotta find an answer somewhere," said neighbor Tiffany Alexander.
