Ogle County residents express concern over solar farms – News – Rockford Register Star

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STILLMAN VALLEY — Acres of green crops are a welcome sight in Ogle County.

Acres of green energy in the form of solar panels, not so much.

Stillman Valley residents Heather and Mike Lalor have collected more than 400 signatures from residents opposed to special-use permits that would allow development of four proposed solar farms. The solar farms would be built near some residents’ homes and take nearly 330 acres of “prime farmland” out of agricultural production for several years.

The largest development is a 147-acre, 20-megawatt solar farm intended for the 7000 block of East Hales Corner. The site is less than 300 feet away from the Lalors’ home. The solar farm development is being pitched by SunEast Development, LLC, a privately held clean energy development and management services company based in Pennsylvania. A company official could not be reached for comment.

The development is the latest in the recent proliferation of solar farm proposals taking place in the Rock River Valley and around the state as developers try to take advantage of tax incentives and rebates and a new state mandate that requires Illinois utilities to generate at least 25 percent of their power from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2025.

Heather Lalor described the solar farm near the Chicago Rockford International Airport, an 18-acre, 3-megawatts solar farm development by Wanxiang New Energy, as being in an ideal location.

“It’s (zoned) industrial-commercial use,” she said. “The nearest home as you drive off Kishwaukee Road heading on Beltline is three-tenths of a mile. But here? We’re talking 276 feet.”

The Lalors, who have lived in their North Kylewood Drive home for 13 years, spoke with the Register Star earlier this month outside their home, accompanied by several friends and neighbors.

“When Ogle County did their comprehensive plan, and we bought this land, they said this is going to remain agricultural and if anything were to change, it would be residential at the very worst,” Heather Lalor said. “Well, under this special-use permit, a solar farm would be allowed on ag land.”

Lalor said the land is too valuable to take out of production. 

“This land right here, 69 of the 146.78 acres is Jasper soil, of which our county has 2 percent,” she said of the nutrient-rich soil.

“If people want to eat, I suggest we don’t take the top prime farmland. The Illinois Farm Bureau says top farmland is not where we should be putting these. … We should be looking at brownfield sites. Does that look brown to you?”

A 4-magawatt solar farm is proposed for a 90-acre site at 8271 Hales Corner Road.

“It’s going to lower the property value,” said Joe Malk, who lives on Hales Corner Road. “Even if I wanted to sell my house, people coming down Hales Corner Road are going see what — three-quarters of a mile of solar panels on each side of the road?”

Todd Henry, a Realtor and Ogle County resident, said, “I think anytime you have the unknown, it’s going to adversely affect your property values. It’s hard to say exactly what it (the solar farm development) is going to do, but I have a hard time believing it’s going to make property values any better.”

The other proposed solar developments are smaller and located on North Kishwaukee Road and in the 6800 block of East Hales Corner Road. Of the four proposed sites, Hales Corner Road resident Ron Pifkin is the only local property owner. He said there is no evidence of declining property values because to solar farms.

“They said the same thing when the nuclear plant went in,” he said. “That has proven not to be a factor (in property value) either.”

Although solar farm developers try to use less desirable land, they also prefer sites that are close to a substation. The energy that is produced by the solar farm is then put directly into the grid to power homes and businesses in communities where the power is generated.

Illinois Solar Energy Association is a nonprofit organization that promotes the widespread application of solar and other forms of renewable energy.

ISEA Executive Director Lesley McCain said she has heard the concerns expressed by the Ogle County residents and in response the ISEA has provided information touting the merits of solar energy, such as:

• Solar farms allow farmers to diversify their income. With more than 27 million acres of farmland in Illinois, solar energy production will never displace agriculture’s central role in the economy, landscape and culture.

• Solar projects provide both economic and environmental benefits for nearby communities. A typical solar project will generate 30 years of tax revenue to pay for local schools and community services while keeping taxes low for homeowners. Community solar projects also allow local subscribers to purchase lower-cost, clean energy.

• A study by the CohnReznick accounting firm that examined property values near solar farms in Illinois and Indiana concluded solar farms do not adversely affect the value of nearby properties in the short or long term. County assessors and local real estate professionals participated in the study.

Ogle County Board member Dan James said granting a developer a special-use permit is no guarantee a solar farm will come to fruition. The Illinois Power Agency must sign off on the development. The IPA was established in 2007 to develop electricity procurement plans to “ensure adequate, reliable, affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electric service at the lowest total cost over time for residential and small commercial customers.” Once applications are approved, developers will have 18 months to complete their projects.

Only a limited number of solar farms will be approved in the first phase of the IPA’s procurement program.

Lalor said the 400-plus signature petition in opposition to the solar farms have already been presented to county officials.

The Ogle County Planning Assessment and Zoning Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on the 147-acre site. The matter will then go before the entire County Board, which meets Aug. 21.

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

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Fontaine Modification now installing eNow solar panels

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Fontaine Modification Fleet Services, in response to the increased demand for solar-powered auxiliary systems, now offers installation of solar panels from eNow Solar Energy Solutions.

The company’s Statesville NC location recently upfitted 26 sleeper trucks with the panels, which are designed to capture and convert the sun’s energy into useable power for trucks.

“Working with eNow made our initial installation and documentation simple and efficient,” said Jamil Young, president of Fontaine Modification. “The product is rugged, robust and suitable for the working environment.

“The installation process is simple and straightforward, and we’re pleased to provide this service to customers at all eight of our locations.”

Unlike heavy glass solar panels typically used in residential and commercial markets, the 1/8-inch-thick panels used for transportation applications are lightweight, flexible and sealed with a layer of ETFE fluorine- based plastic that resists ice, debris, corrosion and extreme temperatures.

eNow solar panels collect energy from the sun and converts it to DC power, charging the truck’s auxiliary batteries. These batteries are used to power the truck’s HVAC systems, liftgates, refrigeration, telematics systems and other auxiliary equipment.

The solar panels produce about 300 watts per day, which helps fleets extend auxiliary battery life, decrease fuel costs and reduce downtime.

“It’s an honor to team up with a company like Fontaine Modification that has the reputation for being the best in the business,” said Guy Shaffer, chief marketing officer at eNow. “They’ve stood the test of time, (and) continue to grow and attract business from some of the biggest OEMs in the world. Their standard of excellence aligns with eNow’s commitment to provide quality, durable energy products to the transportation industry.”

To learn more about eNow products, visit enowenergy.com.

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New Milford Residents File Brief to Block Solar Power Farm, Claiming Plan Will Damage Environment

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New Britain Superior Court. New Britain Superior Court. Photo: Google Earth

Claiming a prospective solar farm in New Milford would be disastrous to the environment and that the Connecticut Siting Council hastily rushed approval of the plan, attorneys representing Rescue Candlewood Mountain have filed a court brief in opposition to the proposal.

The 88-page brief filed Aug. 9 in New Britain Superior Court claims the project by Massachusetts-based Candlewood Solar calls for the destruction of 87 acres of valuable core forestland, or 15,000 trees, on Candlewood Mountain. That land, if the deal eventually goes through, would make way for a solar energy facility generating 20 megawatts of electricity to be sold to utilities in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The plan calls for installing about 15,000 solar panels.

Daniel Casagrande, attorney for the plaintiffs, told the Connecticut Law Tribune Monday that the plan would “essentially destroy dozens of acres of what the state has said is ever-diminishing natural resources.”

“The state has been on record the past several years saying there has been a loss of core forest land,” Casagrande said. “And both the [state] Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the [state] Department of Agriculture have said we need to do what we can to stop the loss of core forest land. This project would accelerate it.”

Casagrande, a partner with Cramer & Anderson in Danbury, said the five-member siting council was wrong to approve the project for several reasons. The council, Casagrande said, “abused its discretion” by approving the plan, “even though the developer admitted that it had searched for no potential alternative sites anywhere outside of New Milford, and its investigation of alternatives within New Milford were perfunctory at best.”

In addition to the environmental factors, the plaintiffs say the glare from the solar panels is a safety concern for the small aircraft using the Candlelight Farms Airport, located about half a mile away.

“Our position is that this was approved improperly, on the basis of a hastily compiled petition that was filed in order to get around the public act (17-218) that became effective July 1, 2017,” said Casagrande, who noted the act requires detailed and intensive environmental review of projects involving solar panels.

Candlewood Solar attorney Paul Michaud of the Michaud Law Group in Middletown told the Connecticut Law Tribune Monday: “Their [motion] is without merit, and we are confident we will prevail.” He did not elaborate.

The siting council signed off on a declaratory ruling on the project for Candlewood Solar on Dec. 21. The council, which has jurisdiction over sites for electricity-generating facilities, claimed the plan would not negatively affect the environment. The council, in its ruling, wrote that the project met all applicable water standards.

The plaintiff requested to overturn the council’s 5-0 ruling in a Feb. 1 complaint. Its first motion in the case was made Aug. 9. In April court filings, Candlewood Solar denied the project “would cause severe environmental and other impacts.” It denied all claims of environmental dangers laid out by the plaintiffs in their complaint.

The New Britain-based council is represented by Robert Marconi, assistant attorney general. All media calls to attorneys within the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office must go through spokeswoman Jaclyn Severance, who declined to comment because the matter is pending litigation.

Casagrande said he expects the bench trial to begin by October and to last several days. A judge has to be named.

Lisa Rivas assisted Casagrande on the case.

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Fontaine Modification Will Now Install eNow Solar Panels – Fuel Smarts

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Fontaine Modification now offers installation services for eNow's solar energy solutions at modificaiton centers across the U.S. - Photo courtesy eNow

Fontaine Modification now offers installation services for eNow’s solar energy solutions at modificaiton centers across the U.S.


Photo courtesy eNow


Fontaine Modification Fleet Services now offers installation of solar panel systems from eNow Solar Energy Solutions, capable of powering certain systems on a heavy-duty truck.

Fontaine’s Statesville, North Carolina, location recently upfitted 26 sleeper tractors with the panels, which capture energy from the sun and are capable of producing 300 watts of electricity per day. The power can be used to charge the truck’s auxiliary batteries, which are then used to power HVAC systems, liftgates, refrigeration, telematics systems, and other auxiliary equipment.

The solar panels from eNow are flexible, lightweight, and thin, measuring only 1/8-inch thick. The panels are sealed to protect against ice, debris, corrosion, and extreme temperatures. Fontaine offers installation of eNow solar panels at all of its modification centers.

“The product is rugged, robust and suitable for the working environment,” said Jamil Young, president, Fontaine Modification Fleet Services. “The installation process is simple and straightforward, and we’re pleased to provide this service to customers at all eight of our locations.”



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Dougherty commissioners learn more about plans for solar power facility

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Plans for a solar energy facility were presented to Dougherty County commissioners at their meeting Monday. / Mary Green

The sounds of cars speeding down Moultrie Road are nothing new.

But what people see along that road could be drastically different in about a year, when part of it might be filled with about 440,000 solar panels standing about seven feet tall.

That’s the plan from Dougherty County Solar, to put a photovoltaic solar power energy production facility on a 1,089-acre space bordered by Moultrie Road and Spring Flats Road.

Those plans were presented to Dougherty County commissioners at their meeting Monday.

Unlike the road outside it, Planning and Development Director Paul Forgey said the space would stay relatively noise free.

“There’s no offsite impact because it’s a solar facility like there would be with a garbage dump, that you would smell or you’d see dozens of trucks going to and from every day,” he told commissioners.

Forgey said only one or two employees would be there each week for maintenance.

“For the most part, it’s just a facility that just sits there and collects solar power, basically like crops that would collect the energy from the sun,” he said.

That solar power would later be sold from Dougherty County Solar to Georgia Power.

Stephen Land, a project manager for NextEra Energy, said the construction of the facility will require about 300 workers.

“The ratio of locally sourced construction jobs is about 70 percent of that,” he told commissioners.

Land said they hope to start work by January of 2019 and finish up eight to nine months later.

Margaret DeArmon, who lives on Gaissert Road, near the proposed site, also addressed the commission.

She said she doesn’t have a problem with the solar energy project, but she did with the signs notifying neighbors about it.

“You can’t see it unless you can turn to the side,” she told commissioners.

DeArmon asked that commissioners find out how this project would impact neighbors like her before they vote on it.

“I would hope that all of you would do your independent investigation of this project and not necessarily rely on just the planning department or the planning committee,” she said.

Construction for this facility will require special approval from the commission. The vote for that will come next Monday.

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Blessing the Solar Arrays at Camp McDowell

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Learn more about the solar power system at Camp McDowell. … When sunlight shines on the panel, direct current (DC) energy is produced. This is …

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TCL&P Board to consider renewable energy goal | Local News

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TRAVERSE CITY — When customers of Traverse City Light & Power flip the switch, they soon might be receiving more of their electricity from renewable energy sources.

The question of whether the utility should set a goal to have 100 percent of its energy come from renewable sources is part of a strategic plan that will go before the TCL&P Board at its Aug. 14 meeting.

It is separate from the city’s goal to have city operations be 100 percent renewable by 2020.

How ratepayers would be impacted would depend on where and how the power is purchased by the utility, TCL&P Executive Director Tim Arends said. The smaller the energy project, the more it tends to cost.

“We’ll do a financial analysis on each project presented to the board and the board will have to make a decision on if and how it impacts customer rates,” he said.

TCL&P has the third lowest residential rates in the State of Michigan and the fifth lowest for commercial and industrial rates, according to Arends.

Currently, 12 percent of the energy from TCL&P comes from renewable resources, he said. The goal is to raise that number to 40 percent by 2025, and 100 percent by 2040.

The renewable energy comes from solar, landfill gas and wind projects that the utility has invested in, Arends said.

Kate Madigan, director of the Michigan Climate Action Network, said the majority of TCL&P’s energy presently comes from two coal power plants: Belle River and Campbell No. 3.

“When there are wind or solar projects, TCL&P then will replace its existing load with renewable energy sources,” Madigan said, adding that the owners of the two coal plants plan to retire them by 2030.

The previous strategic plan did not include a goal to have any specific percentage of renewable energy resources, Arends said.

“That became one of the highest issues the board wanted to discuss,” he said. “They came out (of the May strategic planning retreat) stating they wanted to set a goal, understanding all the challenges related to that.”

TCL&P Board Chairperson Pat McGuire said he thinks most of the board supports having a large percentage of renewable energy.

“Whether we can get to 100 percent is a ways off,” he noted. “To be honest, it’s going to require some new technologies that would allow us to get there.

“Whether that exact wording (in the proposed plan) gets approved (is unknown),” McGuire added. “I would say something substantially along those lines would be something the board would approve.”



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Solar energy | Buy Photos | AP Images

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Utility companies may soon provide loans for energy upgrades

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Utility companies are looking at offering their customers loans for energy-efficiency upgrades and renewable energy systems that would be paid back through their monthly utility bills.

The lending system called “on-bill financing” exists in other parts of the country and was recently made possible by a bill signed into law last month, KTOO-FM reported last week.

The new law is “vitally important for the Interior Energy Project,” which aims to expand access to natural gas in the Interior, said Democratic Rep. Adam Wool of Fairbanks.

Customers will be able to request loans for a range of upgrades including solar panels, higher efficiency appliances and switches in heating fuel systems.

“We think it’s a good tool to have, and we certainly will look at using it,” said Cory Borgeson, president and CEO of the Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks.

He was one of the people who testified in favor of the bill before the state Legislature.

A bill signed last month by Gov. Bill Walker gives utility companies the power to suspend service to a customer if they fail to pay back their loan.

Golden Valley needs to set up a bank business before it can implement the loan program, but the company is considering the program for the future, Borgeson said.



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Workshop to be held on Solarize Brookfield

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  • St. Joseph Church in Brookfield installed 475 solar panels on its school over the summer. The panels will power the church, rectory and parish center and go live on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media / The News-Times


Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media

St. Joseph Church in Brookfield installed 475 solar panels on its school over the summer. The panels will power the church, rectory and parish center and go live on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017.

St. Joseph Church in Brookfield installed 475 solar panels on its school over the summer. The panels will power the church, rectory and parish center and go live on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017.

Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media



BROOKFIELD — The town will hold another workshop on Tuesday to encourage residents to convert to solar power.

Brookfield is participating in a statewide program that makes it more affordable to install solar power on one’s home.

Representatives from RGS Energy will discuss how to take advantage of Solarize Brookfield at the event from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in Room 133 of Town Hall. A final workshop will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 11.




The Solarize Brookfield program ends Sept. 25.

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