Rowan County Commissioners on Monday gave a thumbs up to another solar farm.

Owned by Duke Energy, the solar farm is planned for a 116-acre tract of land at the intersection of Old U.S. Highway 70 and N.C. 801 — near the Barber community. The actual solar panels would only take up 26 acres. Commissioners approved the solar farm unanimously.

It is the latest of several approved solar projects in Rowan County. Catawba College, for example has plans to install solar panels around its campus and a solar farm near Rockwell is already operational.

Duke Energy District Manager Randy Welch said the solar farm would generate 6 megawatts. Welch said it would be enough to provide power for about 1,000 Duke Energy customers.

During a public hearing for a conditional use permit to allow the solar farm, Welch said Monday’s request was the latest in a series of investments by Duke Energy in “reliable, affordable and cost-effective energy” in Rowan county. He cited the the switch from Buck Steam Station, which burned coal, to the natural-gas-fired Buck Combined Cycle Plant; a solar panel project at Food Lion’s headquarters and another solar panel project at Frieghtliner.

Commissioner Judy Klusman questioned whether Duke planned to place additional solar panels on the 116-acre property. “Not at this time,” Welch said, adding that the company would come back to commissioners for future requests.

Welch was one of multiple Duke Energy representatives to speak during Monday’s public hearing. Only one person, a woman who lives adjacent to the site, spoke against the proposal. She expressed concerns about possible contaminants coming from metal used to build the solar panels and potential for fires as a result of the solar farm’s operation.

Commissioner Mike Caskey said the neighbor was lucky a solar farm was the proposed use of the land.

“This area is already zoned industrial, so I can understand the homeowner’s concerns, but there are a lot of worse things that could go in there right now,” Caskey said. “To me, this is sort of a benign project the way it will affect the surrounding areas.”

In other business Monday, commissioners:

• Voted to purchase 14 vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office at a cost of $407,859.

The county regularly replaces old sheriff’s vehicles once they reach a certain mileage. This year’s crop of vehicles will come from Asheville Ford Lincoln.

Bid documents from Asheville Ford Lincoln show the requested vehicles to be various versions of the 2016 Ford Police Interceptor Utility, which is a modified version of the Ford Explorer.

• Voted to purchase a landfill compactor at a cost of $655,010.

The cost of the new compactor would include the trade in of a used landfill compactor. The new machinery would be purchased from Carolina CAT.

• Set an Oct. 19 public hearing on a piece of property that’s drawn significant criticism about a proposed use.

The property is adjacent to Morgan School on Stokes Ferry Road. It’s also near the intersection of Stokes Ferry Road and St. Matthews Church Road. Venture Properties is requesting the property be rezoned from rural agricultural to the county’s commercial, business and industrial classification.

During the Rowan County Planning Board’s August meeting, a large crowd of people from the Liberty community expressed opposition to the idea.

The planning board voted against a rezoning that would allow a Dollar General on the site.

• Approved a rezoning at 1040 Hugo Drive from manufactured home park to rural agricultural.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.