Project partners working on the Coatesville Solar Initiative (CSI) have received conditional-use approval from the board of commissioners in Caln Township, Pa.
The CSI is a 7.2 MW project that will power a school campus for the Coatesville Area School district. The district will purchase the energy produced by the PV array under a long-term power purchase agreement.
CSI will use local products and labor firms, including Exton, Pa.-based Keares Electrical Contracting Inc. The project's investors are also based in the local area. Total capital expenditures for CSI are expected to be $35 million, with $12 million spent locally over the course of construction.
In response to resident concerns, the 46-acre project site will be designed to maintain more than 25 acres as open space, with fencing and a heavy vegetative buffer around the 20.6 acres of panels. Open space will help maintain wildlife habitat patterns. Setbacks were increased to 100 feet to the north and up to 400 feet to the south of the project site.
