Virginia’s first commercial land-based wind farm will soon rise from oak-heath woodlands along a ridgeline in Botetourt County, about 30 miles north of Roanoke. The project, Rocky Forge Wind, is in the final stages of construction.
The wind farm will help Virginia reach its clean energy goals and bolster in-state power generation in the face of growing energy demand. But environmentalists and local landowners are worried about the project’s impact to the mountain ecosystem.
Apex Clean Energy, based in Charlottesville, VA, will install 13 turbines along a 3,264-foot ridge at the northern end of the county. Each will be nearly 700 feet tall. The company expects the project will generate almost 80 megawatts annually, enough to power up to 21,000 homes, for the Appalachian Power Co. The turbines should begin transmitting electricity to the grid by the end of this year…