My excitement was piqued recently when I learned that a moderately sized solar installation was being planned for my immediate area (link). Turns out, it would be 7 miles from my house.
The proposed facility would be on 44 acres of land near Montpelier, VA, and would cost the developer, Rainbow Trout Solar Partners, LLC, about 6.5 million dollars to build. The 15,000 or so solar panels would generate about 11,805 megawatt-hours of electricity every year.
But this is rural Virginia — Trump Country. Anyone want to guess what I got in the mail today?
It’s a letter urging me to sign an online petition in opposition to the project. What travesties are going to occur in Hanover County if this modest solar facility is installed?
Apparently, Montpelier (a sleepy town outside of Richmond with a post office and one grocery store) could be changed forever.
There could be increased erosion and sediment loss from solar panel drip lines, that would run off into Taylor’s Creek and the South Anna River, and ultimately into the Chesapeake Bay. Apparently, the problem could not be solved with a few loads of gravel (it could).
The land might never be returned to raising soybeans, corn, hay, and wheat. There is such a shortage of those commodities these days. Imagine the starving children. s/
The 15-foot high panels would impact “the view-scape of neighbors and anyone that drives on St. Peter's Church Road.” The view-scape of a coal plant would be so much better.
“Additionally, [the panels would] be surrounded by a 7-ft-tall fixed knot perimeter fence possibly with barbed wire on top for security.” Apparently, the fence would be really ugly and make this area look like a prison rather than an agricultural area.
“Deer and other animals [would] no longer live in this area, impacting hunting throughout [the area.]” We have a desperate shortage of deer around here with no place to live. More of them would have to move into our garden (we’d be ok with that).
Other projects (near someone else’s house — perhaps mine) might be next.
Wow!! With such catastrophic reduction to the quality of life here, I can scarcely comprehend why anyone would tolerate such a thing.
According to the landowner, the choice was between this or subdividing it for residential development. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch article, current zoning would allow up to 8 houses to be built on the property. Eight additional families, and more traffic on the roads, or solar panels? Hmmm. Either way, wheat and corn aren’t growing there.
The opposition is pure BS. These are completely fabricated problems because they can’t bring themselves to state their real opposition: Solar is good for the environment and comes from liberals and Democrats. It is purely a political statement against anything that is contrary to their (Republican) political agenda. This is the toxicity that Republicans have stoked.