DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
9 comments:
I wonder if Somerset Co. residents will be forced to buy power from this solar array (and what that will cost).
Solar is a prohibited use in the Ag/Residential zones. This amounts to shifting ag/residential to industrial without local imput.
The PSC hearing is a joke because local opinion is being weighed against every resident of the state instead of by their peers.
Somerset County Commissioners have a covenant with Pioneer Green to procure the 1.5 miles of solar panels which was approved. The PSC hearings are a mockery of how the system is supposed to work.
Somerset County residents cannot afford solar power. The government has a contract to buy the Great Bay Solar's electricity.
Adding this to the grid will increase everyone's electricity costs in Maryland.
Solar is actually cheaper than coal or nuclear but that is irrelevant. Electricity is sold on the open market so no form of electrical generation can raise your electric bill. It doesn't matter how much it costs to generate electricity the electric company is only going to pay the electric provider what the market forces them to pay.
As far as turning Ag land to industrial, this is a ridiculous argument. A solar farm is much less industrial than almost any type of modern agriculture. Other than grass cutting their is almost no activity on a solar farm. No smells, noise, allergens or heavy equipment. No nutrient runoff polluting our waterways. No oversize equipment moving on our roads. As a added bonus the tax revenue is far higher than any other type of traditional agricultural use.
Finally their is no agreement between the Somerset County Commissioners and Great Bay to procure solar panels. Unbelievable some of the lies and nonsense that gets spread around!
You can't grow crops in the shade of solar panels.
That is correct. The LANDOWNER makes the choice to either raise crops or lease the land out for solar power. All the land in the Great Bay project is privately owned and just like a farmer deciding which crops to plant the landowner decides how his land will be used not busybodies with way too much time on their hands.
The BIG problem is solar is industrial and placing it in an agricultural/residential is a violation of the zoning code. The PSC is bypassing local zoning laws and taking away local landowner rights. The state of VT has recognized this and is bring back order. Poor leadership in Somerset has cost them dearly. Who would want to purchase a home when the property next door could become an industrial zone even though it is against the zoning code. The county attorney and the county commissioners are pocketing money and their constituents are paying a hefty price for it.
Solar energy is more expensive than wind and coal. Most of the cost is hidden through the massive subsidies it receives. The subsidies are more than 50 times greater than wind and 150 times greater than coal. Please research this and see for yourself.
Please note: There is a bully making comments here that works for the renewable industry. He has intimidated his neighbors and is a menace to society.
Who would want to live next to a solar farm? Most people. California has by far the most solar power in the US. The approval rate for solar is 90% in California. Furthermore it is not a violation of the zoning code as light industrial is allowed in ag residential also as mentioned above a solar farm is much less disruptive in a neighborhood than most other agricultural practices. If you choose to live in a ag residential zone then you have to accept that the land around you is used to make money. If you feel you should have rights to what your neighbor does with their land I suggest you move to a community with a Home Owners Association.
Utility solar is cheaper than everything except wind or natural gas. That is including all subsidies. I suspect you are comparing prices with rooftop solar which is much more expensive. As far as the amount of subsidies they receive the support solar gets is much less in real dollars than what fossil fuel power received in its startup period and in line with what they still receive. The fossil fuel industry likes to point to the total dollars received per year which show renewables receiving much more in total dollars. This is deceiving as tax credits and subsidies are used in the startup period for power generation usually in the first ten years. By far most of the new power generation built in this country in the last ten years is renewables so obviously they are receiving much more per year but not per MW put on line.
You accuse me of being a bully and being a menace to society while you make unsubstantiated claims of corruption against the commissioners. You even spread the ridiculous lie that the County is buying the Great Bay solar panels. I suggest you take a look at yourself!
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