I spent last Monday night in a packed meeting room at a nearby township hall, advocating for a proposed solar energy project. The process had been proceeding quietly and fruitfully for some months, until a anti clean energy politicians raised the profile on Facebook, resulting in a rush of MAGA style attendance, that was, as typical, rude, loud, and, they hope, intimidating.
Bottom line, it’s illegal for a Planning Commission, at this stage, when the developer, utility DTE, has met or exceeded every requirement of the local ordinance, to deny a permit. The only question is, will the local township issue that permit as required, or will they be buffaloed by the mob into withholding.
In that case, Michigan’s clean energy siting reform laws allow for DTE to take another path, through the State Public Service Commission, to obtain the permit.
Among the many public commenters at the meeting, Mark Gaff, the chair of nearby Jonesfield Township Planning Commission stood up to attest that warnings about decline in property values, which is a common thread in any clean energy project, were heard before the construction of the nearby Meridian Wind Farm. They proved to be groundless, and home values in fact have risen.
The commission also hear from Carolyn Porritt, who had, along with her spouse, purchased a home that they knew would be well inside the boundaries of the project. In fact, they ended up in a bidding war with two other couples for the home – belying again the idea that “no one wants to live in a solar project.”
In fact, people who actively educate themselves on the realities of solar find out that these projects are desirable, predictable, quiet and clean neighbors – insuring that communities stay rural, providing an island where there will be no agricultural chemical spraying, or subdivision development, for the life of the project.
Real Estate experts like Erin Bowen have found thru data that “there are more than enough buyers who are willing to pay full market value for a home that is adjacent to a solar facility.”