Developers touted the tax benefits and energy savings of a proposed solar energy project in Crete at a briefing this week, and the public answered questions about water pollution and runoff problems.
About 16 people were in attendance Tuesday to discuss Ironwood Renewables' plans to annex about 70 acres near Old Money Road and South Sangamon Street to the city for a solar plant called Falconhead Solar.
Hamilton Carrier, developer of the Ironwood Renewables project, said the solar plant will be built on approximately 48 acres and will produce five megawatts of energy.
Landowners and city officials reached an agreement before the annexation that the land would be annexed when the solar plant was built, Carriere said.
"It won't really go into effect until the project is built," Carrier said.
The development is expected to generate about $50,000 a year in revenue, which will be split between the school district, fire department and the city.
Crete Village Administrator Michael Smith said the annexation still needs board approval and the process will include a public hearing. Village officials hope to add a solar plant to the project because it will expand the city limits and provide an environmentally safe source of energy, he said.
The company will enter into an interconnection agreement with ComEd, Carrier said. The company will sell the energy produced by the solar plant. Residents of Crete and nearby cities can register for the solar park and get discounts of up to 20% on their bills, he said.
The solar panels, which are made of 98 percent silicon polymers, glass and plastic, will be recycled once the project is completed, Carrier said. According to him, Ironwood Renewables will lease the land for 20 years.
Carrier said the solar plant will be placed at least 100 feet from other property lines and an 8-foot-tall fence will be built around the property.
The solar plant likely won't come online until 2025, Carrier said, because the company plans to enter the Illinois Regulated Block Program, an incentive program that supports the development of new solar energy. The program accepts applications in June, so companies plan to apply next year, he said.
Ruth Reid, who attended the meeting to gather information from friends who live near the proposed project, asked about the potential for water contamination from the project.
Carrier said his company has been developing solar plants for seven years and, based on experience and research he has read, has found no evidence of water contamination from solar plants.
Carrier pointed to a June 2015 study by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center that because the panel material does not mix with water or evaporate In any case, there is a risk of chemicals being released into the environment during normal use.'
“We will not contaminate your water. "Their wells are deeply buried," Carrier said.
Reed said those assurances don't guarantee there won't be water contamination problems. He said he left the meeting still concerned about the project.
"I didn't learn anything," Reid said.
Linda and Scott Hofmeier, who live near the proposed project, attended the meeting and expressed their concerns to company officials about water flowing from the solar plant site onto their property.
Michael Keith, an Atwell civil engineer who led the project's civil engineering, landscape design, architecture and studies, said plants and wildflowers will be planted throughout the site to promote water drainage.
The project's developers will follow Illinois state law and ensure water from the property flows through the property and not into nearby homes, he said.
"I'll make sure the water moves the same way," Keith said.
Keith and Hofmeier took a few minutes to discuss the project map and its impact on their property.
Scott Hoffmeier said after looking at a map, it appears the back of the garage is 213 feet from the first panel near the house. After the meeting, they admitted that they are still concerned about the drainage problem.
"The response was exactly what I expected," Scott Hoffmeyer said.
