Solar Farm #2, dangers involved.

[RSKY]

If it's all prime farmland why are there trees and scrub growing on it?

There are creeks and streams running thru the area. As per good farming practice the land is not cultivated for about a hundred feet from a stream. Also fence rows between properties are wooded. There are areas in the 1200 acres consisting of 10-20 acres that have never been cleared and are wooded. But most of the area is currently in corn or soybeans or wheat that is being harvested with no-till beans being planted (sometimes the same day as wheat harvested) and a few acres in tobacco. This is not Kansas type flat land. It is gently rolling. And it is some of the best farm land in the area.

 

[RSKY]

I have a problem with people objecting to things for various reasons. Made in China? Some people go out of their way to buy American made but most don’t. Clear cutting land? That’s been going on for a while in the US.

Most of the time the solar farm puts up a bond so the removal of the panels would be paid for if the company defaults.

I wish people would just come out and say “we don’t want to look at them”. At least they’d be honest. Would it be better if it were a coal plant, a factory, a 500 unit condo?

Im sure I’d hate it too if one of these things was going up near me. It would be 100% because they’d be an eyesore and nothing else.

My daughter had a real estate appraiser look at their property. Once they had the appraisal in hand they had her do another showing where the panels would be. According to this one agent it would mean a minimum 40% reduction in the value of the property. BUT that is only one agent. According to research some of the neighbors have done there would be a reduction in property value of 20% to 60% with a solar farm next door. The problem isn't just looking at them. At a distance of 1000' there is a 7 degree increase in temperature on a sunny day. The dangers of fire, chemical contamination and toxic fumes must also be considered.

 

[fishheadbob]

We keep using more and more electricity and do need a way to manufacture it in the best way. It's 110 in Texas right now; electricity usage will strain a lot of grids. It's unlikely anyone wants a new coal burning plant on this acreage, and people seem more opposed to wind farms than even solar panels. There a lot of headaches and environmental mess with ANY energy production, I used to work for a fracker (ugh). What to do; what to do.
Around here we have a lot of big solar installations going in, and for some fortunate reason they are being sited on crappy land that hasn't produced anything except brush for the last 60 years. The companies siting them have the sense to screen them pretty well; or maybe there is some sort of regulation that makes them do responsible siting. They're using the bad land because big agriculture around here pays a lot to lease or buy the good soils, and stays away from the junk land. A win for the landowner who gets rent for the junk land, and we get to burn up more electricity without overloading.

 

[RSKY]

At the end of the day, if it is your land and you own it, it's yours do as you wish IMO. If you can make money with solar panels and you want to lease your land out, no one should be able to tell you that you can't IMO.

Don't get me wrong, a new pig farm next door could be an issue with the smell, but if it was already there when you bought the land, that's on you and not the pig farmer.

Some of the families involved have had their property and homes for generations. My grandchildren are living in a house on property bought by their great grandparents in the 1950's. My daughter and her husband have just dropped over $100,000 on the house complete redoing it inside and out. Why would they do this to a 100+ year old house? Because it is built like a fortress. Rough cut true 2x4 oak studs with tongue and groove exterior and interior walls. Twenty plus acres of land with about twelve rented to a local farmer. From what we have found out they will not be able to let the kids play in the creek running thru the property due to heavy metal and herbicide contamination.

 

[Hay Dude]

We all know Nuclear power and natural gas is the answer.
This country is run by people too stupid to utilize it.

 

[RSKY]

We all know Nuclear power and natural gas is the answer.
This country is run by people too stupid to utilize it.

With modern design a nuclear plant is the best way.

 

[Hay Dude]

The problem is, our teenagers & college aged kids are being taught that solar & wind is the only way by environmentalist professors & teachers.

 

[RSKY]

Once again, the neighbors to this 'solar farm' would not like it, but would not fight it IF they went by the 1000' Kentucky statute. That is the solar panels would have to be a minimum 1000' from the property lines. The company is wanting this changed to 300' from dwellings. So in my daughter's case the panels would be right against the southern and eastern boundaries and about 100'-150' across the road.

And the battery storage units would have to be 2000' from property lines. This would give enough distance for it to not be instantly deadly during a fire. And with the number and size of the batteries involved there will be fires.

 

[turbo36]

You seem to be unable to distinguish "environmental damage" from harvesting a crop that has a 30 year cycle. Planting thousands of cement support bases and amending the soil with Portland cement for structural support alone is permanently killing the soil. That land will never grow any food again, ever!

How is that different from building a sports stadium or NASCAR Race track? If we use your logic, then we ought to be tearing down a bunch of stuff down in this country. Have you ever looked into the environmental impact of asphalt paved roads? I guess we should just go back to dirt roads again except that the dust control methods aren’t that friendly either.

 

[Hay Dude]

How is that different from building a sports stadium or NASCAR Race track? If we use your logic, then we ought to be tearing down a bunch of stuff down in this country. Have you ever looked into the environmental impact of asphalt paved roads? I guess we should just go back to dirt roads again except that the dust control methods aren’t that friendly either.

OK how many of them do we have in our country? Should we tear down schools and hospitals, too?
Theres much better substitutes for solar. There are no substitues for race tracks