Local activists want more resident involvement in solar project negotiations

By Will Atwater

At the Nov. 3 Northampton County Board of Commissioners meeting, Sylvia Vincent stood at the podium during the public comment period and voiced frustration over a newly approved community benefits agreement between the county and solar developer SunEnergy1. 

“You did not consider the Vultare community when you made that deal,” Vincent told commissioners. “We have been coming here for months and months, complaining about how [SunEnergy1] has destroyed the landscape, the animal habitats and how they have put us in danger health-wise.”

Community benefits agreements are legally binding contracts between developers and local governments or community groups. Intended to soften the negative impacts of large infrastructure projects, they typically offer monetary and nonmonetary benefits to host communities in exchange for local support and smoother approvals.

Vincent and other residents criticized Northampton County’s agreement, which included a $1.5 million pledge from SunEnergy1 to support a new EMS system in the western part of the county. Vincent said the investment would not benefit residents in her area, noting that Vultare is a hamlet of fewer than 50 houses spread across a wide stretch of farmland.

SunEnergy1’s nearly $2 million commitment includes funding for a new ambulance and youth programs, according to the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald.

Community activist Belinda Joyner said the controversy reflects a deeper issue: County officials often fail to vet companies before approving projects or consider how they affect other communities. 

“They don’t do that,” Joyner said. “We have too many people drinking the Kool-Aid but don’t know the flavor — so you get used, you get pimped.”

“Why couldn’t you come to the table with the citizens of the Vultare community and ask for suggestions about how some of this money could be used in our area,” Vincent asked, “rather than doing what you wanted to do with it? You decided on your own.

“The Vultare community is standing alone in this county.”

Vincent’s remarks echo broader frustrations among residents who feel the county has once again put outside business interests ahead of local needs, allowing industries to profit while degrading quality of life and increasing environmental and health risks, ironically, in a quest for “cleaner” energy.Those concerns are rooted in a long history across eastern North Carolina’s rural communities of color, where factory farming, landfills and wood pellet plants have brought pollution, broken promises and few lasting benefits.

For many, the tradeoffs have been one-sided, deepening distrust of local officials and fueling resentment toward what they see as a recurring pattern of extractive development.

That backdrop helps explain the current pushback against a solar energy project that, on the surface, promises clean, renewable power. It has revived long-standing questions about who truly benefits.

Too much of a good thing

“What has been going on is just an oversaturation of solar panels in our area, our community — and it’s been going on for almost a year now,” Vincent said during a late September phone call with NC Health News. “It doesn’t let up. We suffer from smoke and the noise all the time. We can’t seem to get our commissioners to step up to the plate for us.”

Vincent said the smoke stems from contractors clearing forested land for solar development and then burning the debris on site rather than hauling it away or running it through a chipper. The smoke drifts into nearby neighborhoods and degrades air quality for residents, she said.

Noise has also become a daily disruption. On Nov. 6, Chris Vincent shared in a text message that “everyone is upset in the neighborhood this morning — they started driving spikes at 6:30 a.m. [and] the decibel levels are extremely high.”

Aside from the smoke and noise, Chris Vincent estimates that about 4,000 acres of solar panels have been installed within a one-mile radius of the Vultare community. NC Health News could not verify the scope of SunEnergy1’s solar development in Northampton County ahead of publication despite requests for comment. Publicly available information indicates the company has two projects in the county: Oak Solar, a 120-megawatt farm, and Cherry Solar, a 300-megawatt project.

Jason McAllister, Northampton County’s newly appointed code enforcement director, told NC Health News in an email that he is still getting up to speed on the projects. He noted that the county recently adopted a new solar ordinance, which outlines rules and requirements contractors must follow when installing solar systems in Northampton County. McAllister said he plans to meet with SunEnergy1 and will share details about the installations once he has more information.

The Vincents and other local residents stress that they are not against solar energy, but feel that the project could be better executed and not so disruptive to folks living nearby. 

Experts say many of the problems raised in Vultare — from burning debris to decisions made without resident input — could be avoided with a more collaborative decision-making process and a well-constructed, community-driven benefits agreement.

Course correction

The Center for Energy Education in Roanoke Rapids is a resource for North Carolina communities exploring solar development. The nonprofit trains public officials and residents to better understand the industry, including briefings on the state’s clean energy plans and how solar projects move from land selection to construction.

Executive Director Mozine Lowe said the goal is to ensure that local leaders are well informed, ask the right questions and are better equipped to negotiate with developers. She said it is also critical for residents to be engaged early in the process.

“It’s a chance for community members to learn about the industry and for the industry to hear residents’ concerns,” Lowe said.

Lowe said that when community benefits agreements are developed collaboratively, they can create long-term positive impacts. She pointed to her organization as an example.

“Our building and our work in rural communities is the result of county commissioners and solar companies coming together to say, ‘We need a place for residents to learn about solar energy,’” she said. “We are the result of a community benefits agreement.”

North Carolina Rep. Rodney Pierce (D-Roanoke Rapids), who represents rural communities weighing renewable energy development, said the agreements should focus on core community needs.

“As a public official, my main three areas are public safety, public health and public education,” he said. “Any company that’s coming to a rural community and making an investment … Those are the three areas they should concentrate on as it pertains to Community Benefit Agreements.”

For residents like the Vincents, the hope is that Northampton County’s experience becomes a turning point — not just a cautionary tale. With stronger ordinances, more transparent negotiations and benefits agreements shaped with community input, advocates say future solar projects could deliver real, lasting advantages for the people who live closest to them. Whether county leaders will seize the opportunity to reset the process and ensure that residents have a seat at the table the next time a developer comes calling remains to be seen.

Longtime activist Naeema Muhammad put it this way: “If you’re not seated at the table when decisions are made, you’ll definitely be on the menu.”

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