Farmland in Berks County Being Transformed into Solar Panel Farms

      The people of rural Pennsylvania value the open farmland and beautiful views that surround their homes. Over 7.3 million acres (23%) of Pennsylvania’s land is farmland. Mountain Trail Solar Energy, a subsidiary of Leeward Renewable Energy, threatens to take 440 acres of that farmland. This acreage will be taken and made into a 50-megawatt solar facility that consists of solar panel arrays, substations, electrical infrastructure, and transmission lines. The solar panels will use photovoltaic technology (solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity) to convert solar energy into electric energy and deliver it into the power grid that will connect to MetEd’s system using a new utility substation that will tap into the Lynnville-South Hamburg 69 kV line. A 69 kV line is a power line that connects local substations. The plan is to start construction in 2024 or early 2025.

     There are many concerns surrounding the project, including aesthetics, wildlife conservation, and property values. The appeal of Windsor County is the vast amount of fields, which offer beautiful views of the mountains, sunsets, and so much more. One reason that TJ and Lindsey Brooks moved to the area is because the land “was not built up,” and Lindsey is worried about how the solar panels will take away from the beauty of the property. In turn, this may lower property values, which is another major concern among the citizens of the community. The land that surrounds most properties in this area has a large impact on property value. Adding solar farms takes away from the simplicity of the land, which in the end diminishes property value. Mountain Trail Solar plans to plant trees as a buffer between the 8-foot fence that will surround the solar panels and the property it surrounds. Each solar panel will be 14 feet tall and face the south.      

     Trudy Miller voices her concerns about how long it will take the trees to grow tall enough to cover the solar panels, which are planned to be about 14 feet tall. The buffer trees will be planted as nursery trees, and she is also worried that “no tree will be tall enough to block them.”

      Not only do the solar panels raise concerns about the way they will look and the effect they will have on the property, but also many people are worried about the effect they will have on the wildlife within the area. There are many different types of animals that frequently visit the fields of Windsor County, including deer, racoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes on occasion, and so many more. Taking away their home and, for many, their source of food will be detrimental to the wildlife people see on a daily basis. Trudy says that she “will miss the snow geese, eagles, and deer”. TJ who has a degree in agricultural research and product testing, worries about the state of the land years after the farm. The solar farm is expected to last only 30–40 years. After the solar farms are taken down, TJ states that “there will be to many changes to the land, and the fields will never make it back to agriculture production land.”

      Many families wonder what construction will be like and how often people will be coming and going. The solar panels are being put in a place where cars rarely drive through, which makes this spot ideal for families with children. Parents are able to let their children play outside and not worry about the constant traffic and this may change if solar panels are installed.

     Trudie says “We are a community even though we don’t get together for parties, [and this] changes the way of life of people who have moved here for a nice place.” TJ also agrees that the solar panels will do much more harm than good, and he states that this project is “a permanent stain on the community that does not have any benefit for us.”

     Not everyone in the community feels as though a solar farm would be a bad thing. Titus Miller believes that the option of having solar panels put in is a much better idea than letting warehouses and developments go in the fields instead. He says that farmland can cause harm due to the use of pesticides and the increased use of Roundup, which has been proven to have multiple health risks. Warehouses would be much worse to look at, be loud and cause a disturbance to the community. A housing development would take resources away from the community. Solar panels are quiet and will not cause much of a disturbance other than a slight eyesore; they do not cause pollution, and they generate energy in a clean way. The solar panel farm will also bring multiple job opportunities to those in the area.

     For the citizens of Windsor County township, meetings should be a space where everyone can get truthful information from people they trust. The chairman of the planning commission, Dale Frederick, included 200 acres of his own personal farmland after Mountain Trail Solar was unsure that they could move forward with the amount of property they had for the project. For the duration of the time after contributing his land, he stayed on the planning commission but has recently stepped down from anything regarding the project. The other land is owned by Jim Caspary, who, in the last township meeting, vocalized that he had been approached with plans for a development but instead decided to lease his land to Mountain Trial Solar Energy. When leasing land for a solar farm, the land is commonly leased for $1,000 per usable acre per year. However, land can be leased for up to $3,000 per acre per year. Dale Fredick stands to make $150,000 per year (based on $1,000 and 150 usable acres). Jim Caspary stands to make $390,000 per year (based on $1,000 and 390 usable acres).

     Overall, there are many differing and conflicting opinions on what should happen regarding solar farms being put on farmland. Every citizen hopes that whatever happens, the community and beauty that attract people to Windsor County continue throughout the foreseeable future.

     If you would like to voice your opinion, the planning commission will be holding a meeting on June 20, 2023 at 7:00 pm. All meetings are held at the Windsor Township Municipal Building located at 110 Haas Rd. Hamburg, PA 19526.