Centre County residents voice concerns with proposed solar array development
A 20-megawatt solar facility could be coming to Centre County next year, but Potter Township residents aren’t sure they want the project in their backyards.
The 230 acres of land, located near Rimmey Road and Rhoneymeade, is zoned rural residential and is currently used for crop farming. During a community meeting Thursday, about 20 residents voiced concern with the project, saying that the array will cause environmental and economic harm. But Parker Sloan and Peter Bruno, representatives from Cypress Creek Renewables, think the development is an investment in the future. As proposed, it would operate under a 40-year lease.
“I think it’s a better way to produce electricity,” Bruno said. “There’s no emissions. The way I think about it is children. Would you rather have your children next to a solar farm or next to a coal plant?”
But many community members present said they would rather their children grow up next to farmland.
The array would include ground-mounted photovoltaic panels no more than seven feet in height. Once operating, the energy will be fed to the grid and flow to local load centers, Bruno said.
James Kerlin, a township resident who lives next to the proposed site, said he understands the benefits of solar energy but isn’t convinced the array should be built in Centre County. He fears it will do more harm than good, saying that it will decrease the agricultural industry and “change the character of the area and the region.”
The project’s construction would include installing panels into the ground and mounting panels on posts. Sloan said the installation and removal of the array will not harm the soil quality, adding that the project can be taken down.
“We won’t be disturbing the topsoil in any way,” Sloan said.
While the solar array is in use, the land will not be used for cropland, but Bruno said the field could provide energy to power around 6,000 homes. If the project moves forward, it will be Centre County’s largest solar array.
While Centre County does not get as much sunlight as Arizona, Bruno said the company was attracted to the area because of its utility and electric infrastructure. Once complete, the facility will produce no noise or additional traffic, and vegetation will be planed to enhance the facility’s aesthetic.
Bruno and Sloan said that Cypress Creek’s previous projects have not affected surrounding property values in the past.
“This type of area, agricultural setting, is very common with our company and with our industry. It’s very similar to where we have installed other sites,” Bruno said.
While the project is being built, Bruno and Sloan said traffic could increase while supplies are being transported to the site; however, Sloan said traffic flow will go back to normal once the array is finished.
The most obvious benefit for the township, Sloan said, is that the array will generate tax revenue because the property will be assessed as a solar farm rather than agricultural land. Over the course of the 40-year lease, Cypress Creek will have to pay a higher tax base to the county.
A public hearing on Cypress Creek’s conditional use application will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Potter Township building, 124 Short Road in Spring Mills.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 11:40 AM.
