Fighting 'Solar Farm' Installation

[walhondingMF]

I travel into a lot of states with forgotten people. States like Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Many people I meet there have almost given up. They think their country has forgotten them, that they don’t count.

I think that sucks and they should be able to buy energy as cheaply as possible with the NG right under their feet.

What you are observing is not wrong haydude. I live in the part of Ohio you are speaking of. I teach their kids everyday. But I cannot blame the "Green New Deal" and "expensive" alternative energy sources. There is none here. No part of the country is tapping into the NG supply more than southeastern Ohio. Production has been gradually ramping back up since the pandemic, with a big help from the subsidies. These companies know how to play the game though. The very clean NG power plant built along interstate 77 is a great idea, and for the most part, we have to be glad it's here. However, they received a good chunk of green energy funding to build it. In return, they got a 30 year tax abatement. The terms settled on are 1 million dollars a year for 30 years to the school district. Not complaining because we couldn't afford it otherwise, but that amount of money just covers 1/2 of the cost to rebuild and renovate our buildings. 30 million dollars over 30 years is pennies. Can you imagine what our poor community could do if they had to pay actual taxes.
Natural Gas is one of the fastest growing energy forms in our country. We are doing exactly what you are asking, but it's not the "silver bullet" its proponents claim it is. It's another very good energy option when used the correct way in the right places.

 

[Northernliving]

To the poster who asked about payback… The only reason there is a “payback” on solar installations is because they are heavily subsidize by the government (well, the tax payers).

 

[troverman]

Solar panels have a huge footprint required in order to generate meaningful power. It is true that they don't pollute the air whatsoever. However, compared to a modern natural gas powerplant, they really perform very poorly. The gas plant has a far smaller footprint and generally more output; modern emissions controls have reduced their air pollution to reasonable levels. The biggest thing is that a gas power plant can operate with perfect reliability 24/7/365 and do so for 100+ years if continued maintenance is performed. Solar, on the other hand, produces zero power every single night, and will not produce max capacity except on sunny days. The panels have a very finite lifespan of approximately 25 years at which point there is an enormous amount of materials to dispose of, some of which is difficult or impossible to recycle. On top of all that, many of these solar farms are installed in what previously was viable farm land - solar farms know a cost-benefit analysis is never on their side, so they need to minimize installation costs. Open fields are an easy target. So we now make power where we previously could make food for people or animals; this is not a sustainable practice. Having the panels installed for years over this land ruins the fertility of the ground as well. Lastly, air temps around the panels can be hotter than if the panels didn't exist, especially at night, by about 4-8 degrees Fahrenheit. They create a heat-island effect, just like a city can.

In the end, the notion of producing significant electric power from solar panels would never, ever work unless you buy into the notion of man-made climate change. No cost-benefit analysis would ever support it. It is intermittent, unreliable, expensive energy. Might it work well on a personal home as a supplement to utility-supplied power? Absolutely. There are certain instances where the solar model works very well. Mass power generation is not one of them, and ultimately more harm than good comes from these large solar farms.

 

[aircommuter]

Using your local government to go for a list of conditions. I have been working with development for many years. Every project has to have conditions. For example since it is farmland no herbicides can be used due to drift, run off or contamination of your well. Nothing to sterilize the soil because when the solar gives out or other power sources eliminate it the farmland capabilities should remain available. Conditions that drive up the cost lower desirability. Many areas have stopped all projects from covering farmlands.

 

[rfmgis1]

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

Where I live they are taking 2500 acres of irrigated farmland and putting in a solar farm. The company is calling it the Elk Creek Solar Project and will pay the family for 35 years to lease their land. The company is trying to impress people with how much good and how much tax will be paid by them to the township.

 

[K Arno]

Why do you believe that this will destroy the value of your property? Most of the farmland around here has become McMansions that can never returned to farmland.

 

[ron02simpson]

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

I am on our local zoning board. I’m not sure a solar panel farm is an approved agricultural use here. You should contact the county or town planning and zoning officer to ask if the and would have to be rezoned for that use. If so you have a right to oppose to action at the rezoning meeting. I of course believe solar is an environmental disaster. Panels can leak chemicals and are a disposal problem. Good luck.

 

[kenmbz]

To the poster who asked about payback… The only reason there is a “payback” on solar installations is because they are heavily subsidize by the government (well, the tax payers).

So once the upfront subsidies are done and the Solar arrays still cover the electric bills there is no payback?
I did a calc for my house, without subsidies the payback would be very long term, but well within the useful life of the solar cells.

I don't have electricity but hot water through solar. I get no subsidies and use less oil. So no payback ?

I agree, without subsidies this would not be anywhere near as cost effective to install, but blanket statements don't work.

 

[51allis]

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

This can get political real quick. For example, in our local paper, Escanaba TWP is considering annexing 19,000 acres into the neighboring county so that a solar farm can be setup as the people in Escanaba twp. do not want it. All kinds of county board corruption supposedly going on trying to get the solar farm in. Seems now a days you cannot please anyone and few will agree to your complaints if they can benefit from the solar farm in as much as getting local electric power or discounted rates etc. I like the idea of planing a fast growing tree around the perimeter such as a Norway Spruce etc. You might even be able to strike a deal with the company who wants to install the solar farm to pay for the planting of the trees. Hope you find an equitable solution.

 

[mwark]

I'm in Maine, I'm a Selectman for my town. We just passed a commercial solar ordinance.

Once you understand the magnitude of the subsidies making these operations possible you can appreciate what a house of cards this entire thing is.

Our ordinance requires the cost of cleanup to be addresses up front along with an annual inspection.

The solar companies are only leasing land here, not buying. They will pay the landowner 4x the value of the land, every year, for 20 years, plus an additional 20-year option.

You must ask yourself, why would they pay 1000s of times what the land could be bought for?

Maine is the most forested state (by %) in the country, our net carbon is less than zero. We are cutting 1000s of acers of forest for wind and solar that only work if the power they generate is compensated at 300% of wholesale. I think this all starts to make sense when you follow the money.