In 2020, Savion called on Barr’s coal-mining and geotechnical experts to help gauge the feasibility of a proposed 100 MW solar project in the Appalachian Mountains. The 1400-acre mountaintop site, previously a surface coal mine, had been graded and reclaimed.
Our team conducted a desktop analysis of potential at the site for settlement, differential movement, and related risks associated with underground mining, an exercise that revealed some of the implications past mining activities could have for solar siting and design.
Before performing the analysis, Barr reviewed information about the mining methods used at that site and the depths of the pits, as well as the locations of structures such as valley fills, impoundments, and spoil piles. We collaborated with our GIS specialists to create a technique for calculating spoil-pile thickness, and then used lidar and InSAR data to analyze potential spoil movement and differential settlement.
In addition to the potential risks associated with mine subsidence and anticipated strain from differential settlement, Barr provided recommendations on setbacks and on layout and design concepts. Savion used our report to proceed with detailed design of the Martin County Solar Project, which came online in late 2024.
