Last evening, Municipal Land-Use Planner Larry Lahr exposed Mt Joy Twp and its Zoning Officer for not having the legal or ethical authority to waive the ordinance requirements of Chapter 81 stormwater management for this conditional-use application.
Followed by expert testimony from NC State Mechanical Engineer Dr. Herbert Eckerlin that analyzed and cross-referenced several decommissioning formulas to arrive at approximately 7.5 million to remove this proposed solar facility and restore 600 acres of land back to it's original condition, at today's dollars.
But no worries, good ole Nextera is reassuring and presenting that salvage values will cover at least 80% of costs with no actual decommissioning comparables or reasonable assurities 30 or 40 years from now, just trust the solar sham and thanks for indulging us otherwise...
What others areas have learned so far in other parts the US:
1.) Many officials are completely ignorant about the truths of solar installations: "I feel a little bit embarrassed for not knowing that this was going to be a problem because they are classically not very noisy but we clearly have a noisy inverter or more than one that we need to remedy," said Liz Argo, special projects coordinator at CVEC.
2.) The area residents are ignored and lied to:
But resident James Cimeno said Monday that he and others did raise sound as a possible concern, but were assured that it would not be a problem. "Right from the start I suggested that they move them because of noise," he said. "We were told they weren t going to make any noise."
3.) Renewable Energy companies do NOT care about being good neighbors and they never will. It is about what is convenient and puts more money in their pocket. They will never be good neighbors unless forced by proper ordinances and a Planning Commission and BZA that DOES their job to protect the citizens: "Zac Osgood, project manager for the contractor American Capital Energy, said the inverter pads were placed in their present location, beside the residences instead of along the opposite treeline, because of its convenience to the grid."
4.) Once built, the maintenance promises become lacking to save expenses. In fact, Professors Eckerlin and Heiniger from NC became involved due to County Extension Agents reaching out to them with concerns and questions. One agent sought Professor Heiniger (an Agronomist) because the maintenance contractor wanted to use harsh chemicals that sterilize the ground as the maintenance was cut back to 2 sprays per year. What does sterilizing the ground with harsh chemicals over 35 years do to prime farmland? Who is going to enforce these companies to keep their word to properly maintain & restore the land when the decommissioning bond was based upon false recycling projections by the Developer and not independent studies that suggest $110,000 per MW will be needed?:
"His company is also responsible for site maintenance, which neighbors and town officials said has lagged. The site is overgrown with weeds, they said.
"It doesn t appear that the property is actually being maintained," Mrs. Dolby said.
Conservation agent Jane Varkonda said the same problems exist at the solar array at Katama, which ACE installed earlier this year.
"We have been asking them to mow, to water the trees, to come in and mulch the trees a little better and also to plant the berm," she said.
The bottom line.....if you think the Renewable Energy Companies, and their project managers are going to be educated, honest, and good neighbors, ~ you will be sorely mistaken. A well-written and proper ordinance that has been developed by educated individuals studying what is happening in other states that have had to learn the hard way is THE BEST way to protect the citizens, the County, the Landowners signing solar leases, and the future of us all.
Shame on ANY county who listens to only one side, moves forward for financial gain, and does not take the time to protect itself and the people!
Need an example of the noise? Take a listen here: https://youtu.be/l3X29ReBwEQ