FARMINGTON – After taking the reigns from Ranger Solar this summer, Nextera Energy attended Tuesday’s Selectboard meeting to provide updated information on a proposed solar power project and to field questions from board members.
The $100 million project, which is expected to break ground in the winter of 2018, will bring with it roughly 180 short term jobs throughout the construction phase, as well six to eight full time, permanent jobs once it is up and running. The hundreds of solar panels will be scattered on various plots of land throughout the Farmington area, covering a total of 600 acres.
This will be the largest project of its kind in Maine, generating power for more than 26,000 homes across the state and generating millions of dollars in tax benefits.
“I think every taxpayer in town should be in support of this,” Bussie York of Sandy River Farms said at a special town meeting last November.
York is one of the property owners who will be leasing his land to Nextera Energy. The installment will allow York to continue farming his land, while also making good use of the wide open acreage.
In addition to making sure the project is farm-compatible, researchers at Nextera Energy have conducted studies to make sure the solar panels have as little environmental impact as possible. Everything from investigating the local bat population, to a rare plant species study to a glint and glare analysis, the Florida-based company has been putting in the hours this summer to do their job right, the company’s representatives said.
“Our top concern is making sure this project is the best neighbor it can possibly be,” Project Manager Liz Peyton said.
Peyton went on to insist that the solar panels- which are about 4 feet high in the front and 10 feet high in the back- will have very little visual and acoustical impact for surrounding homes and passersby. The company has used existing logging roads whenever possible and will only clear land that has been previously cleared in the past 15 years. The area with the highest visibility of the panels is Mt. Blue High School Campus, which is well over a mile away.
“It seemed fitting with the windmill they have there, and with the future panels in the distance. It seemed like a good sign,” a Nextera representative commented.
The company also touched on the possibility of future collaborations, such as possibly working with students from the Foster Career and Technical Education Center to do a training on alternative energy.
“We are thrilled to be finally pursuing this after being in the development phase for two years,” Peyton said.
An informational meeting will be held to gather public feedback on Oct. 18. Details to follow.
Hot diggety dog! Sounds great!
I’d certainly prefer solar panels over the wind mills littering the beautiful western Maine mountains.
This is fabulous news, in so many ways. Congratulations, F-town! Intelligent use of looking to an abundant natural resource. We have more sun than we’d imagine, for a snow belt state.
Next up?
Let’s start farming, year-round, in some of our abandoned industrial buildings. And by farming, I mean greens like these that are grown in Massachusetts. Maybe we cannot go with hydroponic, but we certainly have the expertise.
http://www.littleleaffarms.com
The power could be some kind of arrangements with Nextera Energy. We could then employ locals by shipping the greens to urban centers who would appreciate greens grown in Maine, rather than a whole nation away.
Somewhere recently (cannot come up with the resource *right* this second… Will post it later.), I read that our annual rainfall is also expected to increase, while other parts of the country will be experiencing more intense and more frequent droughts.
This kind of forward thinking, building on our natural resources, is what our region needs to invest its time in.
Looks like York Farm. Is so are they still going to be able to use land ?
Great news for all .
The greens would be a welcome sight over the current crop of choice being grown in town. It would be nice to be able to drive through town or sit on my porch and not smell the pungent skunky smell of marijuana. People get mad when a neighbor puts in a wind mill or wood boiler but I guess it’s ok to grow a ton of dope.
So very, very glad I moved away from that town.
Enjoy…
Is this project subsidized by tax dollars like the windmill scam? Anyone planning on a big reduction in local electricity costs?
180 short term jobs. i applaud the honesty. looking forward to seeing how this project pans out. its time we pump the brakes on littering our horizons with wind towers.
Townie…in the article, it says they will still use the land…just reading the lines…
Could someone please explain to me what the statement of supplying power to 26,000 homes, statewide, actually means?
What is the payback schedule for this source of free power?
How exactly will the average Franklin County resident feel the impact of this plan?
Dulles, I had the same question. Will this power stay in Farmington? How much land will be clear-cut?
Dulles: isn’t it obvious? They are gong to ruin 26,000 extension chords to the closest 26,000 homes…don’t trip on the wires!
Or: They will generate the power equivalent to that consumed by 26,000 homes, and have it connected to the distribution grid…to be sold to the highest bidder for green/traditional power.
What could the tax benefit be? Will it support local infrastructure? or will it be miffed away? $100,000,000 at
20 mils would be $2,000,000 per year? Is that a benefit for local tax payers? Some will say yes and some will say no…whale oil was enough light, back in the day…
Being a techie-type, I will certainly be interested in watching this project. I love the wind turbines which, in my opinion, are far more pleasing to the eye than cellphone towers. I have only seen one “big” solar project, and this will dwarf that one. Exciting times.
IF Farmington was smart (though I wouldn’t expect ANY government to do this), they should simply bank the increase in revenues and NOT increase their expenditures with regards to this project possibly coming to town.
Yes, what kind of Pollyanna world are you living in? 2,000,000 a year in tax income for Farmington? They will likely abuse the stupid TIF system and pay nothing for 20 years. And just because they call it a 100M project to make everyone, especially selectmen, feel warm and fuzzy and give their approval doesn’t mean it will be assessed at that number. Wait and see…
So, how many subsidies and how much tax relief will this project require. In other words~ how much of my tax dollar will this project require and what exactly do I get out of it? Power?
The naysayers never seem to mind billions in subsidies to big oil companies in exchange for their skill in avoiding taxes. Nor do presidents have to send our kids to die for someone elses solar panels.
Good news for the Farmington area. I would take solar power and wind power over oil any day of the week. It’s always available and we don’t have to depend on other Nations to supply us with it.
I’d like to know what the landowners are getting out of this to lease their land for the panels. And like many others, will the town of Farmington and/or the surrounding community see any benefit in regards to our electric bill? Yes they say so many TEMP jobs will be created for this project ( and then only 6-8 permanent positions! Yeah any job addition is good, but def not gonna help the average person in this community) but what is the overall benefits to the town and its residents? I’m all for natural energy and such, but these ‘type’ of projects seem to usually benefit the big guy and corporate b/s. I’d love to be wrong, but I’m certainly not gonna hold high hopes to see much positive impact in regards to my family and this town. Looks like the same struggle still lies ahead
They are clearing the land right behind my house. on Bailey Hill Road, for this project. I have lived here for over 14 years, and this is the first time it has been logged/clear cut. It is not looking very good right now, hopefully they will be cleaning up all the stripped-out land I see from my back yard.While I am not against solar power, having the quiet woods cleared and slashed, does not seem to be environmentally friendly at this time.
did anybody see their power bills go down when the windmills went up? no,,what they do is supply massachusetts with much needed power because they do not have the mountain ranges we do , so we provide a place install these things,,,we think its great so we give these tax breaks,,sacrifice our lands,,they provide out of state construction crews to do the work,,so dont rip open your next power bill thinking wow all this and my bill should really be affordable now! nope,,wouldnt be surprised if it goes up paying for the new transmission lines and maintenance. massachusetts walking all over us
Well David, you can live a normal life without the solar farm. Try it without oil….
The energy is going to be added to the overall power grids so we won’t see any benefit there but I would hope we would see some relief in our overall property taxes a result of welcoming such a large enterprise. Claire, although solar electric collection is marketed as an environmentally friendly solution don’t fool yourself into believing large projects like this are noble environmentalists, they are a business with a goal of making profits.The drainage impact of clearing forests will effect the watershed by adding nutrient rich runoff into the river and lakes near by. But that will be a problem they will have to consider when the affects take hold, no disrespect to the project just being practice. I’m excited about this move toward symbiotic power sources but I’m slightly skeptical that it will benefit us in this community unless they can train locals through adult ed and, as stated in the article, foster tech. This would be amazing. Solar and wind is going to be a huge part of our future and we have the opportunity right now to tie the educational needs of that future directly to the students in our community. I know a handful of friends from my high school and college days that are working full time jobs for large solar and wind installation companies. They are raising healthy families and loving every day of their work.
@ Captain P. Just wondering if you know that coal and oil are highly subsidized, and have been for decades, by my tax dollars?
Maybe we should do some research before we get all excited.
If wind turbines are allowed to kill 4,500 bald eagles per year. How will solar panels affect the bird population?
My first question would be ” Why Farmington Maine? “
If this will decrease rural Maine’s reliance on fossil fuels, I am all for it. But if this electricity goes to MA or to the heavily populated areas on the coast? Well, I have issue with the “not in my backyard” contingent. There’re still plenty of open acres for sun farming in MA and coastal Maine. I’m hoping this just isn’t a way to take advantage of the fact that we have less clout politically and are being used. I am a strong proponent of local solutions.
Still….a big step in the right direction overall.
@billyjobob – latitude, powerline proximity & Bussy York’s innovative nature
I get a kick out of all the whining about windmills “littering” the scenery. Like a smoke stack from a trash to energy plant, the steam plume from a gas to energy plant or nuke plant don’t do that? Oh, they do, but not in your back yard. Take a trip down to the Gulf of Mexico, and see how good the oil industry is for the environment. Go deep, to places like Venice , Cameron or Morgan City and really look around. Its bad. But you don’t care, you are willing to be a key board warrior and burn electricity made somewhere else, (and much of it is made right over the border and SUBSIDIZED by the Canadian government), creates no jobs here, and no tax revenue here. Solar works in Europe at latitudes higher than ours, and there are wind turbines in Maine that are independently owned and generating revenue and power for Mainers (Pisgah Mtn in Clifton). The state should make it easy for all of us to generate power in Maine, and sell it to who we want. I applaud this project and those that have made it happen. Those of you that oppose this should really log off and disconnect your power.
@Jack Mills—will you please cite your sources?
@Sarah
“if this electricity goes to MA or to the heavily populated areas on the coast? Well, I have issue with the “not in my backyard” contingent.”
Electricity isn’t something that is packed up and then trucked to a far-away location (unless you’re talking about REALLY big batteries). It enters the grid at the point where it’s generated. From there, it flows out to where it’s being used – sort of like water. However, pollution also flows. Keeping heavily populated areas from using fossil fuels benefits us. The jet stream wind pattern usually ensures we get whatever was in their air previously.
Claire
I guess you should have bought more land!
Follow the money and don’t be fooled by the ‘green’ label.
Who will maintain the solar panels and the cost of such in the long run repairs and updates are they being considerd I read it takes a qualified person to do any maintaining on the panels and its costly .just saying ?
” just saying ” what?
Solar panels require almost no maintenance. There are no moving parts, they are very durable and there is no real wear.
The biggest threat to the panels themselves would be vandalism or flying objects, such as tree limbs.
The latitude and proximity to lines doesn’t seem very unique to me, as for Bussie York’s innovative nature, the article doesn’t really go into any detail at all as to ” why ” here.
Solar is a good thing though and as technology marches on it will only improve.
@ Joan Small. Federal fish and wildlife final rule on incidental injury or kill on golden and bald eagles went in to effect in Jan 2017. With a permit the turbines are allowed up to 4200 per year before fines are levied. Permits are expensive and fish and wildlife think it will only 500 or so. Reporting injuries or kills is voluntary.
Folks, this is a for profit company. They build to benefit the owners/stockholders. They are likely looking to build here because of favorable lease/real estate pricing. Why build near the coast, when land pricing is way higher than in Farmington?
Will this business be a good neighbor? Will they increase truck traffic in the long term? Add to noise or air born pollution? Great questions! Maybe I’ll go to the meeting and see…Will they invest 100,000,000 in our area? If it is a good enough deal for their business! Let us hope they have done their homework with sharp pencils, and see this project forward successfully, or find it does not work for them….and go to end of story quickly.
I hope they can go forward and build! Good luck, and thank you for looking at our area….where the air is generally clear, and the sun is relatively free!
Can someone tell me how this will be protected from vandals? How about a big gleaming chain link fence around the perimeter. That will be beautiful to look at ! Course doesn’t matter if it’s not in YOUR backyard !
To administrator…….Is there any info on the public meeting tomorrow?
We’ve added a little article under News about tomorrow night’s meeting.
A public meeting will be held Wednesday Oct. 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the University of Maine at Farmington conference room number 123 in the Olsen Student Center to discuss an ongoing project to bring to town the state’s largest solar power installation.
glad for the yorks they will make money , but how will this put money into the town taxes , for roads, trucks , etc if the reason they picked Farmington is because of lower property values , why shouldnt they pay there way as well , going solar yes great but lets be business minded about whats in it for Farmington and mt blue academy