RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - After a three-year hiatus, a proposal to build a solar facility on the historic Barton Ranch on Scott Road, six miles north of Rancho Murieta, is back in the spotlight.

The Sacramento County Department of Planning and Environmental Review has released the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch on its website. It will accept public comments until April 18.

The Cosumnes Community Planning Advisory Council (CCPAC) will review the application at its next meeting, which will be at 7 p.m. March 26 at the Wilton Community Center, 9717 Colony Road, Wilton.

The proposed solar facility will span 2,700 acres of pasture on both sides of Scott Road. It will feature a 200-megawatt solar array capable of powering up to 40,000 homes and a 100-megawatt battery storage system designed to supply power for up to four hours. 

The applicant plans to incorporate seasonal grazing around the solar arrays and implement strategic landscaping to help screen the panels from view. All generated power will be supplied to the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District. 

The CCPAC first reviewed the project on Feb. 2, 2022. 

While some attendees raised questions, the project faced no significant opposition. Three nearby ranch owners expressed conceptual support for the construction of the solar facility.

The applicant, Sacramento Valley Energy Center LLC, is part of D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, which is based in New York City. The firm is also developing a second solar farm in Wilton, located on Dillard Road, which is currently underway.

The applicant hosted an informational meeting about the Coyote Creek project at the Rancho Murieta Country Club on Oct. 13, 2021, but only two community members attended.

The term “agrivoltaic” in the project name refers to the simultaneous use of land for solar photovoltaic power generation and agriculture. 

At Coyote Creek, this will involve integrating livestock operations with clean energy production, according to consultant Jim Gillum, who represented the applicant at the CCPAC meeting.

The county notice stated that the draft EIR identified significant and unavoidable impacts to some oak woodlands and a scenic road. However, the draft EIR outlines two alternatives to help mitigate these impacts.

The Biological Resources Alternative proposes shifting 55 acres of solar panels from the development area to a 480-acre parcel adjacent to the project site. The Scott Road Buffer Alternative would eliminate all solar development within 500 feet of the centerline of Scott Road to reduce visual impacts. This option would involve relocating 181 acres of solar development to the adjacent 480-acre parcel.

The draft EIR identified several other potentially significant impacts that could be minimized through mitigation measures, including effects on air quality from construction, impacts on plants and animals, and the risk of wildfires.

The draft EIR can be viewed at planning.saccounty.gov/Pages/Coyote-Creek-Agrivoltaic-Ranch.aspx. Comments can be sent to [email protected].