Fighting 'Solar Farm' Installation

[sea2summit]

As I stated in my oter post, I figured the breakeven without the incentives. Hard to be exact, but it would have been paid off around 10 years. That is NOT a lie. With incentives, about 8+/- years.

I’m at very sorry if you took that as I was calling you a liar. Reading that I see it and I apologize.

The lie is the true cost, jump on any search engine and type in “solar installation” and you’ll get instantly bombarded with all kinds of options to get the price down. That price is still there and someone is paying, even if it’s just the electric company paying so they can by electricity from you cheaper than they can make it with their other means. That still doesn’t make it free or cheap.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I’m at very sorry if you took that as I was calling you a liar. Reading that I see it and I apologize.

The lie is the true cost, jump on any search engine and type in “solar installation” and you’ll get instantly bombarded with all kinds of options to get the price down. That price is still there and someone is paying, even if it’s just the electric company paying so they can by electricity from you cheaper than they can make it with their other means. That still doesn’t make it free or cheap.

When we bought, I looked at multiple companies, and lease vs. own. Lease was nothing more than a discount, like .06 per kwh, and only during daylight. After that, it was full price. It wasn't explained to me that way, but my research showed me that it was true. I dodged that bullet, but many people, not so much. I'm sure things have changed in the last 10-15 years. Owning has some drawbacks, like initial costs, and out of warantee costs, but I had only one issue, easily resolved. Panels waranteed 25 years, inverters I think 10.

 

[Yander]

Years ago we fought cell towers in our county and won. We were not opposed to cell service but 200 ft. towers with lights on top. Cell service can be some 300 ft. towers, it takes more 200 ft. ones and many more 50ft. ones...but same coverage.
Homeowners are approached by tower installation company promising monthly rent payments, not realizing they become "Christmas trees" filled with antennas and need 24/7 access. We took pictures superimposing towers on the landscape, we hired a professional knowledgeable with towers, canvassed neighborhood getting signatures and made a board of supervisors presentation. We won. Shorter towers can be camouflaged to blend in with trees, antennas installed in church steeples (church gets the rent money), and antennas can go on existing power line towers and telephone poles.
That's what you must do, calling attention to the county all ramifications of solar panels, impact on aesthetics...impact on environment...property values, etc. It's best to provide an alternative solution like having them in a commercial area.
Signatures and impacted property owners showing up at board meetings especially with media coverage carries a lot of weight. Having "before and after" photograph prints means a lot. It all starts with a small group of concerned citizens which grows as you get signatures with some joining the group.

I was approached by a company to put a cell tower at the back of my property and were going to pay me $1,000 per month for the life of the tower. I declined because it would have made all of my neighbors hate me and I couldn't do that for $$$. I would still do the same today.

 

[Hughman]

My neighbor leased his land for a cell tower, right across the street from our house. Couldn't thank him enough. We now have access to the internet which enables the wife to work from home. Went in just in time for the pandemic. I could care less if he makes a few bucks if it brings us out of the dark ages.

 

[5030]

Some people have got together in one of our communities and are planning on installing a huge multi-acre solar farm on property adjacent to my daughter's and sister-in-law's property. They will be surrounded to the north and south of their properties and across the road. Their property value will go to nearly nothing.

Has anybody fought the installation of one of these?

Any ideas?

RSKY

We did in Deerfield Township, Michigan and won but it was a long drawn out process that alienated many citizens too. Not gonna get into the details but it is possible.

 

[etpm]

I don't understand the property devaluation from a solar installation. Please, OP, tell us how or why, in your area, a solar installation would reduce property values. Can you give examples please? Do people in your part of Kentucky dislike solar farms so much that property values go down considerably when a solar farm goes in? Where I live all the land is pretty much wooded so a solar farm would require clear cutting. This would piss me off but the land isn't mine so I couldn't complain. If the land surrounding me was just open fields I wouldn't be bothered by a solar farm. Or anything that looked like a solar farm. Solar farms are a bunch of angled panels mounted fairly close to the ground. They don't seem to me to be much of an eyesore. Any similar structure would look the same. Looking at the solar farms I have seen up close they all look pretty neatly kept. They just have grasses growing and the grasses are kept from getting out of hand so that the panels won't be hard to service.
Eric

 

[etpm]

I don't understand the property devaluation from a solar installation. Please, OP, tell us how or why, in your area, a solar installation would reduce property values. Can you give examples please?Where I live all the land is pretty much wooded so a solar farm would require clear cutting. This would piss me off but the land isn't mine. If the land surrounding me was just open fields I wouldn't be bothered by a solar farm. Or anything that looked like a solar farm. Solar farms are a bunch of angled panels mounted fairly close to the ground. They don't seem to me to be much of an eyesore. Any similar structure would look the same. Looking at the solar farms I have seen up close they all look pretty neatly kept. They just have grasses growing and the grasses are kept from getting out of hand so that the panels would be hard to service.

Some people have got together in one of our communities and are planning on installing a huge multi-acre solar farm on property adjacent to my daughter's and sister-in-law's property. They will be surrounded to the north and south of their properties and across the road. Their property value will go to nearly nothing.

Has anybody fought the installation of one of these?

Any ideas?

RSKY

If their property value will truly drop to almost nothing can they then get their property taxes reduced. Where I live, in WA State, if I can prove from land sales around me that my property is valued too high I can get my taxes reduced.
Eric

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

"New study finds solar farms have small negative impact on property values. New research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that solar farms reduce property values of homes within half a mile by an average of about 1.5%." (Michigan Radio)
"A recently completed study from the University of Rhode Island looked at 400,000 transactions in New England over the course of 15 years, finding that suburban residential property values suffered negative impacts when nearby solar farms replaced resources perceived as scarce, such as green space."

 

[5030]

Gotta keep supporting the Chinese mineral mining........

 

[riptides]

...suburban residential property values suffered negative impacts when nearby solar farms replaced resources perceived as scarce, such as green space."

LOL. In a zoned residential space? I mean that's what I take out of suburban.

Most suburban spaces around here are lucky if they have a few trees left on any lot. Green space is a patch of lawn.

 

[coldsteelva]

I have rooftop solar on my home, which is not visible to anyone. The nearest homes are 100+ yards away. I definitely have no issues with solar and I do understand the argument about sacrificing good farmland, BUT it's time to be honest about that argument. There aren't many family farms left. If the land isn't being farmed today, it likely won't ever be farmed again. Property taxes have gotten expensive and there is a chance that leasing land to a solar producer or becoming a solar producer is the only way these families can keep their generational property in the family.

Thankfully there is a businessman in the Northern Virginia area that buys up good green space and rolls it into conservation easements so that the developers can't ruin it. He has the bank account to support it. His land holding company has preserved over 22,000 acres so far and taxes on conserved property are negligible. He's doing his part to protect lands and views and prevent the building over of all green spaces.

 

[mikester]

Some people have got together in one of our communities and are planning on installing a huge multi-acre solar farm on property adjacent to my daughter's and sister-in-law's property. They will be surrounded to the north and south of their properties and across the road. Their property value will go to nearly nothing.

Has anybody fought the installation of one of these?

Any ideas?

RSKY

Tell your family to start a tractor junkyard and become hoarders parking rusty and dented shipping containers on their front lawns along with old partially disassembled cars. Let the grass grow long in between the rows. Partially cover the roof with a tarp and duct tape. Keep a dozen dogs running wild and chickens. Have 16 kids.

Now those lousy neighbors wanting solar panels will see their property values plummet and won't go through the expense of adding value to their properties. They will be spending their money on lawyers to try and get the bad neighbors evicted.

 

[Cub 7275]

Other than a potential eyesore, what are the objections to a solar farm? Do they make noises or produce smells (ozone, etc)? Are there constant maintenance noises and/or traffic with workers coming and going all the time? Are there serious negative effects on the land or wildlife compared to a cultivated field? As others have noted it seems there are many other things that would be much less desirable moving next door.

Especially curious since a family member was approached to put a solar farm on 30 acres in the Catskills in NY. Didn't seem like a viable location to me, but I'm pretty ignorant about solar.

 

[Hambone]

Not sure of the percentage, but for us, it was of the total cost.

Homeowner’s Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics

This guide provides an overview of the federal investment tax credit for those interested in residential solar photovoltaics, or PV.

www.energy.gov

Actually 26% now

 

[Jrasband]

sell out and move or buy the property, you are not going to stop them from building

 

[2manyrocks]

This thread is a taste of what you might expect in litigation except you aren't paying attorneys fees for the experience.

 

[MarkF48]

Long thread to read through and I don't know if solar farm 'heat island effect' has been mentioned which could have a detrimental effect to people living within proximity of large solar farms. Not good for nearby areas and questionable about its effects on the climate. Relate it to what it feels like to stand in a huge asphalt parking lot on a hot day.

The Photovoltaic Heat Island Effect: Larger solar power plants increase local temperatures - Scientific Reports

While photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy production has surged, concerns remain about whether or not PV power plants induce a “heat island” (PVHI) effect, much like the increase in ambient temperatures relative to wildlands generates an Urban Heat Island effect in cities. Transitions to PV...

www.nature.com

Solar panels generate mountains of waste — and heat the planet – The Heartland Institute

 

[TN8Man]

What happens when a tornado hits a large solar panel field?

 

[jyoutz]

What happens when a tornado hits a large solar panel field?

It gets twisted like everything else.

 

[coldsteelva]

Homeowner’s Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics

This guide provides an overview of the federal investment tax credit for those interested in residential solar photovoltaics, or PV.

www.energy.gov

Actually 26% now

Not correct any longer: In August 2022, Congress passed an extension of the ITC, raising it to 30% for the installation of which was between 2022-2032.