By: Samantha Blakeman
Global warming is a crisis our planet needs to confront head-on. A primary contributor to global warming and climate change is the combustion of fossil fuels.[i] When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide, trapping heat in the atmosphere.[ii] Coal alone accounts for forty-four percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.[iii] Finding cleaner sources of energy is essential in combating this issue. Solar energy, a popular alternative, is one of the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy sources available.[iv] Developments in solar energy could soon be coming to Winchester, Kentucky,[v] however, Clark County already has a solar farm: Cooperative Solar Farm One, located on U.S. 60 and operated by Eastern Kentucky Power Cooperative.[vi]
In June 2020, the Clark County Fiscal Court urged the county planning and zoning commission to consider amending the zoning ordinances to include solar energy.[vii] John P. Romf, an attorney for an unnamed solar company, asked the commission for the amendment if it was appropriate, despite there being no specific projects in Clark County at this time.[viii] However, two representatives from Geenex Solar stated that they are in the early stages of developing a solar project in Clark County.[ix]
There is significant opposition in Clark County regarding the amendment to the ordinance, which would allow solar energy facilities with a capacity of at least 20 megawatts.[x] A local Winchester man created a petition on change.org in opposition of the solar energy developments,[xi] currently, reaching over 2,770 signatures.[xii] The petition claims that out of state solar energy companies plan to convert over 5,000 acres of prime farmland in Clark County into a solar energy facility.[xiii] The petition also makes claims that the energy produced would not be used locally, the facility will create very few permanent jobs, and many agricultural jobs will be displaced.[xiv]
Credit: https://www.winchestersun.com/2017/10/31/ekpc-solar-farm-ready-to-make-energy/
This type of opposition is typical when industrial solar companies attempt to move into a town.[xv] Despite most people being in favor of renewable energy sources, they tend to object to large facilities near their home when they do not stand to economically benefit from it.[xvi] Opposition is even more heightened when the solar power is passing through an area, instead of directly benefiting the locals, which is the case in Winchester.[xvii]
The land that is being considered in Clark County surrounds the areas of Paris Road (627), Pretty Run Road, Gay Evans Road, Big Stoner Road, Wades Mill Road, Van Meter Road, Clintonville Road, Combs Ferry Road, and Jones Nursery Road.[xviii] Clark County natives, especially residents of these proposed areas, fear “destabilization of property values, environmental health, and infrastructure efficiency county wide.”[xix]
The land being considered by solar companies in Clark County is primarily used for agriculture.[xx] Residents of Clark County have been accused of being “Not In My Back Yard” advocates, however, the states that the solar energy would be transported to also do not want these facilities on their land.[xxi]
According to the National League of Cities, cities can benefit from solar energy by way of savings on electric bills, the creation of local jobs, help for low-income residents, improvement in resiliency, and meeting environmental goals.[xxii] However, Clark County residents’ electric bills will not be impacted due to the energy being transported out of state. This means that the solar facility will not help low-income residents, because they will not be receiving any savings on their utility bill. It is very possible that any jobs created by the proposed solar facility will not be permanent. In 2019, 162,126 of the 250,000 jobs created by the solar industry were installation jobs, which are temporary.[xxiii] Despite the positive benefits that are associated with solar energy, Clark County’s opposition is at the very least justified, as they fear devaluation of property and loss of prime agricultural land. After all, this is their home and a huge part of their economy.
[i] Christina Nunez, Fossil Fuels, Explain, Nat’l Geographic (Apr. 2, 2019), https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/energy/reference/fossil-fuels/#close.
[ii] Id.
[iii] Id.
[iv] Solar Energy, Solar Energy Industries Ass’n, https://www.seia.org/initiatives/about-solar-energy [https://perma.cc/BTJ5-UCKZ] (last viewed Nov. 9, 2020).
[v] Fred Petke, Major Solar Energy Projects May be Coming to Clark, The Winchester Sun (June 30, 2020, 2:01 PM), https://www.winchestersun.com/2020/06/30/major-solar-energy-projects-may-be-coming-to-clark/ [https://perma.cc/K9TD-D2HZ].
[vi] Fred Petke, EKPC Solar Farm Ready to Make Energy, The Winchester Sun (Oct. 31, 2017, 10:24 AM), https://www.winchestersun.com/2017/10/31/ekpc-solar-farm-ready-to-make-energy/ [https://perma.cc/6Z8S-HDWM].
[vii] Petke, supra note v.
[viii] Id.
[ix] Id.
[x] Fred Petke, Thousands Sign Online Petition to Prevent Major Solar Developments in Clark, The Winchester Sun (Aug. 18, 2020, 12:05 PM), https://www.winchestersun.com/2020/08/18/thousands-sign-online-petition-to-prevent-major-solar-developments-in-clark/ [https://perma.cc/K9YZ-GEP2].
[xi] Id.
[xii] Will Snowden, Protect Clark County’s Irreplaceable Farmland from Industrial Scale Solar Development, Change, https://www.change.org/p/clark-county-fiscal-court-protect-clark-county-s-irreplaceable-farmland-from-industrial-scale-solar-developers [https://perma.cc/CYE9-G2ZT] (last viewed Nov. 9, 2020),.
[xiii] Id.
[xiv] Id.
[xv] Samantha Gross, Renewables, Land Use, and Local Opposition in the United States, Brookings (Jan. 2020), https://www.brookings.edu/research/renewables-land-use-and-local-opposition-in-the-united-states/ [https://perma.cc/J4AT-WFQ6].
[xvi] Id.
[xvii] Id.
[xviii] Snowden, supra note xii.
[xix] Id.
[xx] Will Mayer, Industrial Scale Solar is Wrong for Clark County’s Irreplaceable Farmland, The Winchester Sun (Sept. 9, 2020, 12:36 PM), https://www.winchestersun.com/2020/09/09/industrial-scale-solar-is-wrong-for-clark-countys-irreplaceable-farmland/ [https://perma.cc/8AVN-YUGE]; Snowden, supra note xii.
[xxi] Mayer, supra note xx.
[xxii] Odette Mucha, Five Ways Your City Can Benefit From the “Solar in Your Community” Challenge, Nat’l League of Cities (Jan. 14, 2017), https://www.nlc.org/article/2017/01/12/five-ways-your-city-can-benefit-from-the-solar-in-your-community-challenge/ [https://perma.cc/P5YD-G6HA].
[xxiii] Solar Energy Research Data, Solar Energy Industries Ass’n, https://www.seia.org/solar-industry-research-data [https://perma.cc/9WC3-44YG] (last viewed Nov 9, 2020).