Fighting 'Solar Farm' Installation

[TimPicard]

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

There are huge high-tension towers and guys who fire off hundreds of rounds from their ARs around us. I’d love to have a solar field that is quiet and maybe even beneficial to my grandkids one day.

 

[Oaktree]

On the subject of wind farms, has anyone done an impact statement on the long term use of windmills? Where does the energy come from. Obviously it’s from stealing the power of the wind. What if there was a wind farm at the top of the San Isabel National Forest eons ago. The Great Sand Dunes probably would not exist today. As long as something fits with the ideology of a certain political group, consequences be damned.

Leaving the politics out of it (both sides are equally short sighted about impacts of their ideology), I've wondered the same thing. I can't help but believe that windmills alter the airflow downwind of them, whether it's a positive or negative effect, and how it compares with the long term effects of fossil fuel use I don't know.
There's no free lunch.

 

[eanjay]

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

Perhaps the best thing might be to join in in some way. Get some of that solar power and have input into the installation. Many places now install solar in fields with room underneath to plant shade tolerant crops. Makes it easy to retain moisture too. In a changing world have to think a little differently.

 

[Hay Dude]

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.

Not saying that energy companies don’t get subsidized for fossil fuels, they always have. I think if the strategy in your area were deployed in more places, we’d have cheaper energy prices. My gas bill stayed flat, then taxes were added to it. It went up. My country is spending trillions of borrowed money. That money was used to create new forms of energy that couldn’t compete with fossil fuels without even bigger subsidies.

I say produce the cleanest fossil fuels possible along with Nukes and hydro electric and let fossil fuels and “green” energy (it’s not really green) battle for our business in the free markets and see who wins.

G_________t needs to get out of picking winners & losers. It’s far beyond its constitutional reach to be doing that. It was never intended or designed to do that.

 

[JJT]

One was supposed to be installed until the farmer found out the electricity was not going to be for Kentucky but was going to Tennessee and Illinois. The farmer cancelled the project.

Yet the farmer is ok when he sells his Kentucky grown crops to Tennessee and Illinois..... Illogical.

 

[Denali94]

I am one of those that bought property next to me so I wouldn't have to deal with new land use issues. It's in CRP, makes me a farmer?

Technically in the eyes of the IRS yes, you are now a farmer. Do not skip over that Schedule F when doing your taxes or forget to return that Census of Agriculture every year. There are some very interesting benefits to being a farmer but I will leave it to you to discuss them with your accountant. I do not want to be accused of handing out tax advice!

 

[bill karrer]

I live in Sadieville, Central Kentucky. When we built our home we made the decision to go all solar. Haven't had an electric bill in over two years, except for the meter charge of less than $20 per month. To me, personal alt energy is the way to go, but that just won't work for everyone. So, large scale will, necessarily, need to be in the mix as well.
It is your neighbor's land, they can do with it as they please, (you know, that pig or chicken operation), or sell it to whom they please, including you. Yes, you can even plant trees to grow tall on your property and throw "shade" on their operation.
The big problem is, a resistance to something different. In my county, Scott, our Fiscal Court decided to take a stand against big solar farms through an ordinance. Now, the first problem is the ordinance excludes public utilities! Gee, I wonder who is most likely to build a large solar farm? Next, the ordinance spends a lot of time restricting the homeowner and the farmer in putting in their own, personal solar system. They took a stand alright! When the lone entity stepped forward, me, to point out the fallacies of the ordinance's goals, the members of the Court admitted that they didn't know much about solar, but they had to do something!!??
In the all of the discourse that I have seen concerning solar farms, two major themes seem to bubble to the surface. One, they are ugly. Two, (unspoken), I am jealous because I am not getting that money.
Know this, government is NOT your answer as government is a BIG WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!!!!
Being a former Kentucky County Judge Executive myself, I know this. Been there, done that.

 

[Denali94]

Gotta wonder......the gov't really wants to push solar, and use my tax money to give out to people or companies to do such.....

.....But why is the roof tops of all our big gov't buildings covered in solar panels? Why is the white house, capitol building, pentagon, etc.....why are their roofs not totally blanketed in panels and have windmills on the south lawn?

How quickly they forget. Jimmy Carter did have solar panels installed on the White House roof. They were removed by Reagan. Bush II had panels installed at the maintenance facility in 2003 and Obama had panels reinstalled at the White House in 2013.

 

[jdmeth]

I doubt it was your $5200 that they gave to Steve. If Steve is anything like many of us he pays WAY more in federal income taxes than $5200. I think your money was used to shoot down a balloon.

I'm a fan of solar energy, but not on good land. It makes no sense really. Utilizing a good resource to develop another is at best a neutral gain. But for closed landfills and roof tops, it makes perfect sense. Both are abundent, ugly, have no other potential use, require regular maintenance, and are located in areas of higher electrical demands. Only makes sense.

Solar farms are built on existing farm land because it is cheaper. My neighbor also owns farm land four miles down the road. He recently sold 400 acres to a utility for $13500 an acre. I ask him the same question. He said farm land is already cleared and leveled with access roads in place. Also, at least here in north east Florida, there are environmental concerns. Developers would have to deal with federal regulations for endangered species habitat and wetlands. Existing farms have none of those.

 

[Denali94]

This is the view from my back porch. Imagine if it became the second picture?View attachment 794117View attachment 794118

Is that your land? If so, you can prevent this scenario. If not, buy the dirt or live with the consequences . . .