This article originally appeared in Inside Climate News, an independent non-profit news organization covering climate, energy and environmental issues. Published with permission. Subscribe to their newsletter here.
CENTER, Minnesota. Spending a lot of money to install solar panels on a farm in Minnesota that is covered in snow most of the year seems ridiculous.
But Ed Eichte's family is used to his wacky ideas, like raising bison for sale or turning a small dairy farm into retail.
Buying solar energy 10 years ago was also the start of a big business. Neighbors and clean energy companies are starting to see the opportunities that have turned Chisago County, Minnesota, into a solar power development hub with dozens of projects including the state's largest, North Star Solar.
As solar power spread across the country, some people tried to block construction, arguing that the panels were unsightly and would damage property and people's health. Chisago County, where solar power has been around long enough to become a reality rather than a hypothesis, is perhaps the best example in the Midwest for testing whether such fears are warranted.
Counties provide at least some of the answers to questions that arise in places like Williamsport, Ohio, where the push for development is facing serious resistance. The two communities have much in common: Republican voters an hour from the capital and a culture rooted in agriculture.
Some people in Chisago County are still wondering if the benefits of local solar power are enough to justify the closure. They complain that development never seems to end as new project proposals keep coming in to meet the region's seemingly endless need for renewable energy.
But it is clear that the worst fears of hardline critics have not materialized: solar projects generate local tax revenues, increase farm incomes, reduce pressure on land, and do not lower the value of nearby homes.
Suitable for solar energy
If you want to talk to the semi-retired Eichten, your best bet is to step carefully onto the frozen surface of South Central Lake, where he spends most of his days in the comfort of darkness in his winter fishing hut.
He listened to the tape and looked at the jagged rectangle he had carved into the ice, hoping that the northern pike would be attracted to his bait. He recently read about half of Daniel Boone's biography on a weekday.
The building has space for two folding chairs, and the building is dark except for the light from the water. Under the line is a white plastic bait that dangles like a fish. The goal is for the big fish to see the action and come to check it out. If this happens, he is ready to fish with a long-handled metal tool that looks like a miniature version of Neptune's trident.
But on that December day, the spear was useless.
"It's not that bad," he said of the purity of the water. "Become better."
Eichten was one of 10 children who grew up on his family's dairy farm near the city center, on land where he still works. After high school in the early 1970s, he joined law enforcement as a deputy sheriff and later worked in corporate security for a company near St. Louis. He is married and has three children.
He was 30 when he returned to the farm. Along with some of his brothers, he expanded his business, focusing on the production and sale of cheese, and then began raising about 250 bison.
One of the goals is to diversify the farm's income. He began to realize that renewable energy could be part of that, and also help make air and water cleaner by reducing the need to burn fossil fuels. He and his family tried to install wind turbines in the 1990s but failed. After that, they began to look at the diesel.
“This is for the betterment of the environment, for the sake of the Earth, for the sake of God.
In 2012, he paid for the installation of solar panels on two acres of land north of the cheese factory. The project paid for itself in less than five years thanks to energy cost savings.
But the biggest influence was probably propaganda. In addition to installing solar power on the grounds of Chisago Lakes High School, the project commissioned local newspapers and television to cover the possibilities of solar power, while Eichten and high school science teacher Pat Collins helped organize the school project. Thanks to the efforts of Eichten and Collins, many people in the region had a positive first experience with solar energy.
Shortly thereafter, Eichten was approached by a property developer and asked him to lease the land for a larger project. Covering an area of 22 acres, it was commissioned in 2016. Rent payments are about $22,000 a year, which is the majority of the farm's income.
Chisago County has a number of characteristics that make it favorable for the use of solar energy. This is close to the need for electricity on the Minneapolis road. Paul, about an hour south. It also operates interstate transmission lines, so there is a convenient channel for new power systems to transfer electricity to regional markets.
Although the winter days in Minnesota are short and cold, the area is relatively sunny.
Here are some of the factors that led developer Community Energy to propose the North Star Solar project here. When the 100 megawatt project launched in 2016, it was the largest in the Midwest and one of the largest east of the Mississippi. It covers an area of about 800 acres and generates enough electricity to power about 20,000 homes a year.
According to the Energy Information Administration, even today, following other states, Chisago County has nearly twice the installed solar power capacity of any other county in Minnesota. With 56 solar panels of at least 1 megawatt, Minnesota has completed more projects than any other state.
Eichten disagrees with the fundamental argument against solar energy: solar panels are ugly. She has lived in panels for ten years and believes that blue glass is a neutral part of the landscape at its worst and most beautiful.
He has yet to see any negative impact of the panels on water, soil or wildlife in the area. If anything, having solar power on large tracts of his land has improved it, because it means less fertilizer and herbicides. He asked incredulously how anyone could think that solar panels could damage land or water.
"I think they were misinformed," he said.
But if you want to know about the solar business in Chicago County, Eichten is not the person to talk to.
"Surrounded by the Sun"
Among the most vocal opponents of solar energy are elected officials who head the local administration of the district. On a chilly Wednesday night this month, several of these leaders gathered at the town hall of historic Almelund, a city of about 100 people about eight miles north of downtown.
Inside the hall is decorated with Christmas trees and lights. There were pastries, hot coffee and cold cider on plates by the front door.
Leaders from each city provide updates on upcoming city projects or events. Then his tune changed as he reached the town of Rusheba, in the northeast corner of the county along the Wisconsin border.
Rasheba Township Manager Pete Johnson said the developer is in talks with one of the area's largest landowners to build 150 megawatt solar panels on some of the area's most productive farmland.
"I haven't talked to anyone who wants a solar project," he said. "I spoke to many people who didn't want it, but nothing came to me."
He invited two of his constituents to voice their concerns to the group. The main problem, they said, was that neighbors had little or no information about the location of the project or how it might affect their property.
Without an urgent message from the developers, the neighbors began to organize against the project. They have a "NO SOLAR RADIATION" building sign and are exploring their options to challenge the project through legal and regulatory processes.
For them, the case against the project was clear. It makes no sense to build on rich agricultural land in a beautiful part of the area, given that there are many other places that are more suitable for this type of development.
Underlying this concern is a broader question: Is there a lack of solar power in Chicago County?
The answer, at least in this room, is yes.
“We are literally surrounded by solar panels,” says Lyn Strong, who manages Amador, which includes Almelund. "He really went crazy."
He joins the discussion from the point of view of a man who has worked in local government for decades. He is also the executive director of the Chisago County Historical Society.
According to him, in principle, he is not against solar energy, he simply believes too much in this area. But if he had to choose between solar panels and a new apartment complex, he would choose solar energy.
He said the biggest threat to the area's character wasn't the solar panels, but the influx of new residents moving off Minneapolis Street. Sex and pressure on farmers to sell their land to earn a living. Unlike new homes, solar energy does not increase daily traffic and new residents' complaints about the lack of high-speed internet and paved roads.
He was responsible for when solar power first came to the area in the early 2010s and believes the development is a direct result of the lack of local zoning regulations for the technology. The lack of regulation is good for solar companies, but it means local governments and residents have little to no control over what happens. This helps create a sense of chaos.
However, local regulations did not matter to the North Star project because the project was so large that it was subject to state electricity generation laws, which meant that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission had final authority.
The Rusheba project is also subject to state law, so there's not much for people in this room to do. Most of them will be observers, as was the case for the short but intense debate around the North Star in 2015.
"just said"
On October 7, 2015, the Public Utilities Commission held a public hearing attended by approximately 100 people at the Chisago County Office of Emergency Management.
Supporters of the project appreciate the environmental and financial benefits, as well as the developer's thoughtful approach to this issue.
But most of the comments came from homeowners expressing emotional fears that the development would erode property values and put their health at risk from potential electromagnetic fields from power lines and chemical effluents from solar panels.
"You know, it's sad that we're sitting here and we don't have a defense," Bob Zangs said, according to court records.
He said he recently saw two flocks of eagles fighting in the skies above his property and complained that the solar project meant replacing wildlife with a giant power plant.
Saying that the change would affect the value of the property, he said he had heard from real estate agents that his property could lose 30 percent of its value.
He described a process that he found deeply flawed, with insufficient information provided to affected residents and an imbalance between developers with significant resources and residents who could do little to protect themselves.
"How can we just sit there like it's cool? Do you know what's good? It's not like that,” he said.
Now the owner of the house is 60-year-old Zangs. He did not respond to messages left by Inside Climate News on his home phone.
The commission approved the project on February 16, 2016, citing a case showing North Star was in the public interest and in compliance with state environmental laws. Construction began within a few months, and by December of the following year, the project began generating electricity.
Boost the local economy by generating millions in tax revenue
Six years after North Star began generating power, there is no evidence of damage to property, land or water, according to the county government.
One of those who will respond to claims of environmental damage is Kurt Schneider, director of the area's conservation service. During an interview in his office overlooking North Central Lake, he said he had received no complaints.
His main caveat is that there may be unrecorded or invisible losses, but he considers this unlikely. He noted that before approving the project, the state conducted an environmental review, which showed that the Polar Star was safe.
“While there is no evidence of environmental damage, it is still a concern for some,” said Dan Kaiser, Superintendent of the City of Sunrise, who handled most of the North Star project.
He says this fear is natural to any major change, and he wants to point people to reliable sources that answer key questions.
“When someone comes up with this crazy idea that (the sun) will kill the birds or ruin our television reception or something like that, we don’t know how to react,” he said.
The county commissioner's office has been closely monitoring home sales since North Start's construction to see if prices will be affected. Based on about 750 transactions, no changes were found that could be attributed to the project.
“It seems reassuring that the ratings are not suffering,” said John Keefe, then county commissioner, in a 2017 presentation.
Assistant County Counsel Chase Pelokin said the county continues to monitor sales prices and has not changed its mind. This is consistent with a national study by academic researchers not showing the dramatic decline in values cited by sun skeptics.
Local data includes the sale of seven homes that solar energy developers bought at above-market prices in 2016 to allay residents' fears of loss of property value. In 2017 and 2018, the developer resold all of the properties at a price above their assessed value as determined by the county, but below the 2016 price.
Some sun detractors say the value of seven houses has dropped because of the project. For example, Kentucky-based appraiser Mary Clay, who works on behalf of Opponent Solar, says real estate sells 17% less on average without a project. real estate in the area.
Others, including members of the public, have said they don't really care about property returns because solar developers deliberately overpaid in 2016 and were more interested in selling houses quickly than hitting the top price later.
Strong worked as a trustee for Amador Township, a real estate appraiser, and was surprised to see real estate values near solar projects continue to rise. One factor may be that buyers of properties near solar panels can be sure that no new housing will be built near them for at least decades.
“If the buyer doesn’t need neighbors, diesel will do it,” he said.
Solar energy also brings local financial and environmental benefits. North Star Solar, along with other solar projects in the area, collects about $350,000 in state taxes from local governments annually on electricity generation, one of the many ways solar contributes to the local economy. For decades, North Star and other projects have brought in millions of dollars that would otherwise have had to come from other sources.
Землевладельцы, которые арендуют свою землю, являются еще одним крупным бенефициаром, чей доход помогает стабилизировать некоторые когда-то маргинальные фермы и помогает некоторым из более крупных ферм превратиться из низкорентабельных в высокорентабельные.
Другими словами, Полярная звезда помогает региону стать менее зависимым от ископаемого топлива. Его покупателем энергии является Xcel Energy, крупнейшая коммунальная компания штата, которая поставила перед собой цель добиться нулевых выбросов от производства электроэнергии к 2050 году.
Отвечая на вопрос о том, как солнечная энергия преобразила район, Шнайдер сказал, что самое разительное отличие состоит в том, что ландшафт отличается от прежнего несколькими проторенными улицами.
«Самое важное в солнечной энергетике — это наглядность, тот факт, что она есть и (вы) не можете ее скрыть», — сказал он.
