Hanover County, Virginia has approved a 3-megawatt solar farm on part of the Harris family’s Cross Creek Farm. Charlottesville-based Hexagon Energy is developing the project, called Blunts Bridge Solar. The Hanover Board of Supervisors approved it after an Aug. 26, 2026 public hearing, according to VPM’s reporting. The project is expected to join Virginia’s shared solar program, which lets eligible Dominion Energy customers subscribe for bill credits.
What is planned at Blunts Bridge
The array would sit on about 26 of the family’s roughly 100 acres off Blunts Bridge Road in the Beaverdam District. The family home and the rest of the land stay in use. Cross Creek Farm dates to the 1860s and has been in the family for more than 150 years, and the family plans to keep farming and running timber operations. Family member Diane Harris told supervisors the project could make the farm “self-sustainable for future generations.”
Hexagon development manager Ester Rekhelman said the project could strengthen the local grid for up to 600 homes and may bring up to $500,000 in tax revenue to the county. Those are the developer’s claims. Construction is set to take four to six months once it starts.
How a subscriber would get credits
Dominion’s program covers solar facilities up to 5,000 kilowatts AC that connect to its Virginia distribution system. In practice, the path looks like this:
- A developer builds a qualifying facility. Projects must reserve capacity for low-income customers.
- Eligible Dominion retail customers subscribe to a share. Dominion’s page lists shares of 30 percent or 100 percent for earlier projects and 51 percent or 100 percent for the newer phase.
- Capacity is awarded first come, first served. Dominion’s page says the original program is capped at 200 megawatts and that 2026 amendments add 525 megawatts.
- Subscribers receive a credit for their share of the facility’s output, subject to a minimum bill. Low-income customers are exempt from the minimum bill.
In February 2026, WVTF reported the State Corporation Commission changed the minimum-bill method in November 2025 to act as a floor rather than an added fee. Under that structure, a subscriber with a $100 bill could use credits to lower it to $55.
Why It Matters to You
- If you’re a Dominion retail customer in Virginia, a shared solar subscription could lower your bill without putting panels on your own roof.
- Blunts Bridge isn’t open for sign-ups. It’s approved, not built, and is only expected to join the program.
- A news report cites savings of at least 10 percent on monthly bills, or about $175 a year, for Virginia shared solar generally. It doesn’t name who calculated that, and it isn’t specific to this project.
- Customers in the Multi-Family Shared Solar Program or on net metering cannot subscribe.
What isn’t known yet
The project is approved, not built, and “expected to join” the shared solar program means capacity has not been confirmed in the sources we opened. “Up to 600 homes” is Hexagon’s description of grid benefit, not a count of subscribers. The $500,000 tax revenue figure is also a developer claim, and the sources do not say whether it is annual or total. Dominion’s program page states no savings amounts, so the 10 percent and $175 figures rest on that single news report from 29News (Jul 30, 2026). The sources give no subscription price, no low-income share and no sign-up date for this project.
Quick answers
- Can I subscribe to Blunts Bridge Solar? Not yet, as far as the sources show. The project is approved and expected to join the shared solar program. Check with Hexagon Energy and Dominion once construction is further along.
- How much will subscribers save? No project-specific figure exists. A news report cites savings of at least 10 percent on monthly bills for Virginia shared solar participants generally, but it does not say who calculated that.
- Do renters qualify? Dominion retail customers can subscribe, and customers in the Multi-Family Shared Solar Program or on net metering cannot. The sources do not say whether renters who pay their own Dominion bill qualify for this project, so confirm with the subscriber organization.
- Does the farm keep operating? Yes. About 74 acres stay outside the array, including the family home. The family plans to continue farming and timber operations.
Sources
- VPM (via Now Solar): Small-scale solar farm in Hanover gives new life to Harris family land (Sep 14, 2026)
- Dominion Energy: Virginia Shared Solar Program (accessed Oct 13, 2026)
- WVTF: Virginia is slowly expanding access to community solar (Feb 4, 2026)
- 29News: Virginia expands shared solar program, opening access to more ratepayers (Jul 30, 2026)