Solar Farm project WILL impact Clarion River water quality

[salmo]

Solar needs to go on rooftops before we start clearing land for it.

In Jersey where we have a huge burden of toxic waste sites and landfills they are putting solar panels and methane recapture facilities on those dump sites. There are solar panels covering parking lots at train and bus stations.

I don't know if this is the same solar farm project that Amazon is planning in McKean county (I hope it is, meaning I hope there are not going to be two sites) but whoever is building it, it will have some signif impact on the Clarion river.

One issue is more than usual soil runoff from the newly cut site into Smith Run, which flows in the East Branch of the Clarion. Later runoff will include construction chemicals (machinery lubricant, oil and diesel spills, etc),

Then, and maybe the most signif, when the solar farm is complete, it will require maintenance to keep vegetation from reclaiming the open area. How will they do this? I doubt they are going to hire people to cut the vegetation by hand. More likely they will use industrial strength herbicides.

Which could affect aquatic vegetation down river.

I hope none of this happens, yet I do not see where the question of how they will maintain the site has been asked by local Govt.
Let's all hope someone important enough HAS thought of this.

here is a photo of the land already cleared for this project >> View attachment 1641245208



article here VVVV

McKean County solar project encompasses 681 acres - The Bradford Era

CLERMONT — In a southcentral portion of McKean County, 681 acres of Pennsylvania Wilds have been cut, chopped, sawed and scraped to the bare earth. This, in preparation for the installation of a massive solar project by Energix Renewables, the American subsidiary of a publicly traded Israeli...

www.bradfordera.com

This may be hijacking the topic, but there are some hypotheses that if there are advanced civilizations on other planets they will eventually overheat. It proposes that the more advanced a civilization becomes the greater the need for energy. After several hundreds of years post industrialization the planet’s surface becomes uninhabitable. Every generator of energy creates heat one way or the other. While solar doesn’t generate CO2 it generates heat. Between the roads used by natural gas producers and land disturbed by solar installations the impacts are obvious. The solutions not so much.

 

[dudemanspecial]

I am baffled by the comments here seemingly ignoring the fact that the energy sources we are complaining about being an eyesore are being implemented in part because of the absolute destruction the coal mining industry has done and is still doing to our precious fisheries.

Everything can't be perfect. We could go back to the days before we had energy delivered to our homes to make life easy for us.......are you willing to make that sacrifice to avoid the inevitable consequences of energy extraction and transmission?

 

[lycoflyfisher]

I am baffled by the comments here seemingly ignoring the fact that the energy sources we are complaining about being an eyesore are being implemented in part because of the absolute destruction the coal mining industry has done and is still doing to our precious fisheries.

Everything can't be perfect. We could go back to the days before we had energy delivered to our homes to make life easy for us.......are you willing to make that sacrifice to avoid the inevitable consequences of energy extraction and transmission?

But there is a responsible manner in which to develop industrial scale solar. Clearcutting thousands of acres of forest is not it. Taking thousands of acres of prime farmland out of production is not it. Cutting 600 acres of forest just north of Hickory Run Boulder field in one of the largest contiguous tracks of forest in Eastern Pa is not it. I could go on.

There are industrial sights all over with warehouses and factories failing down in abandoned state. We have thousands of new acres of warehouses and parking lots to put solar over....

Data centers are even worse, especially with how hard they are being pushed by the governors office for expedited permit approvals.

Some of these situations are major failures of zoning and land use planning that will impact generations to come and our natural resources.

 

[dudemanspecial]

But there is a responsible manner in which to develop industrial scale solar. Clearcutting thousands of acres of forest is not it. Taking thousands of acres of prime farmland out of production is not it. Cutting 600 acres of forest just north of Hickory Run Boulder field in one of the largest contiguous tracks of forest in Eastern Pa is not it. I could go on.

There are industrial sights all over with warehouses and factories failing down in abandoned state. We have thousands of new acres of warehouses and parking lots to put solar over....

Data centers are even worse, especially with how hard they are being pushed by the governors office for expedited permit approvals.

Some of these situations are major failures of zoning and land use planning that will impact generations to come and our natural resources.

You can assume there are better uses for other people's property all you want, but if you aren't the one buying or selling it you are just peeing in the wind.

Like I said, it can't be perfect.

 

[hemlock]

Like I said, it can't be perfect.

It can certainly be better. So, advocating and pushing for responsible development seems logical.

 

[Clarion River parking guy]

I am baffled by the comments here seemingly ignoring the fact that the energy sources we are complaining about being an eyesore are being implemented in part because of the absolute destruction the coal mining industry has done and is still doing to our precious fisheries.

Everything can't be perfect. We could go back to the days before we had energy delivered to our homes to make life easy for us.......are you willing to make that sacrifice to avoid the inevitable consequences of energy extraction and transmission?

I am not complaining about the energy type, nor am I concerned by alt energy

what is concerning is the choice of location for this project and its likely impacts on the Clarion river

they could have sighted it a mile or so west or north and it would not be affecting the Clarion and much further away from the Allegheny water shed as there is a lot more miles of waterway between that part of McKean County and those streams

and the Govt- local or State- could be more hands on with environmental impact mitigation. If you or I wanted to pave a new parking lot around here, it would require much more regulation (rain water run off/absorption) applied then this project is seemingly getting- why? most likely big money being used as leverage by a foreign owned company is why

the biggest potential impact to the Clarion that may yet be is in how this company plans on handling with vegetation regrowth. even if they put down gravel, it will still re-grow and solar panels need a clear line of sight to the sun for max efficiency. how do they plan on handling the vegetation? likely 'industrial strength' herbicide.

just very odd to me how one portion of our local and State Govts invests so much money into attracting tourism and sportsmen to the area to use something like the Clarion, yet the other parts of Govt work against those efforts

none of us, esp those of us who live on the River, want a return to the bad old days of the pre-1990(approx) Clarion.

 

[Clarion River parking guy]

In Jersey where we have a huge burden of toxic waste sites and landfills they are putting solar panels and methane recapture facilities on those dump sites. There are solar panels covering parking lots at train and bus stations.

This may be hijacking the topic, but there are some hypotheses that if there are advanced civilizations on other planets they will eventually overheat. It proposes that the more advanced a civilization becomes the greater the need for energy. After several hundreds of years post industrialization the planet’s surface becomes uninhabitable. Every generator of energy creates heat one way or the other. While solar doesn’t generate CO2 it generates heat. Between the roads used by natural gas producers and land disturbed by solar installations the impacts are obvious. The solutions not so much.

up in Olean NY area there are several solar sites like that, one is built on what was an old railroad yard, the other over a demolished oil tank field

 

[Oregon_OwlII]

up in Olean NY area there are several solar sites like that, one is built on what was an old railroad yard, the other over a demolished oil tank field

These are appropriate rural locations, if you ask me. Also, those abandoned surface coal operations.

 

[Mike]

grow and solar panels need a clear line of sight to the sun for max efficiency. how do they plan on handling the vegetation? likely 'industrial strength' herbicide.

The few solar farms that I have seen in a couple of SE counties all have appeared to have been mowed. I have not seen any swaths of brown or tan, dead vegetation.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

These are appropriate rural locations, if you ask me. Also, those abandoned surface coal operations.

Yes to truly abandoned and unreclaimed mine lands being ideal sites for solar.

In clearfield co there are 2 projects (both 2000+ acres of panels) in various stages of development/ permitting that are sited primarily on reclaimed mineland. While better than virgin ground, these sites were mostly revegetated in grassland and scrub forests. They provided optimal elk habitat and were mostly not having any further adverse impacts due to surface runoff outside of a few isolated unreclaimed features.

 

[riverwhy]

Maybe local conservation groups could
Maintain such plots for pollinators?

 

[troutbert]

The few solar farms that I have seen in a couple of SE counties all have appeared to have been mowed. I have not seen any swaths of brown or tan, dead vegetation.

I've seen the same thing in mid-state PA. They maintain the vegetation by mowing. And the ones I've seen are not maintained as lawn (frequent, close mowing) because that's expensive and not needed.

I drove by one recently. The grasses and forbs were getting up near the bottom of the panels, but not high enough to block the sun. They are probably mowing 1-3 times per year.

 

[Clarion River parking guy]

I've seen the same thing in mid-state PA. They maintain the vegetation by mowing. And the ones I've seen are not maintained as lawn (frequent, close mowing) because that's expensive and not needed.

I drove by one recently. The grasses and forbs were getting up near the bottom of the panels, but not high enough to block the sun. They are probably mowing 1-3 times per year.

we can hope thats what they do here as well, but knowing corporations and their putting the bottom line above all else, I have my doubts, esp since the company involved is not even a US one

 

[dragfreedrift]

Solar farms get mowed. I’ve never seen or heard of pesticide use to control vegetation growth but it could be going on.

We put fields on landfills, brownfields, and private farmers fields. If a farmer sees financial benefit in using their land to produce solar powered energy, who is anybody on this forum to say otherwise? It’s imaginable but not understandable to complain what others do with their land in accordance with our nations laws.

Nearly all of our national forests are logged in our western states, some quite close to stream drainages.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Solar farms get mowed. I’ve never seen or heard of pesticide use to control vegetation growth but it could be going on.

We put fields on landfills, brownfields, and private farmers fields. If a farmer sees financial benefit in using their land to produce solar powered energy, who is anybody on this forum to say otherwise? It’s imaginable but not understandable to complain what others do with their land in accordance with our nations laws.

Nearly all of our national forests are logged in our western states, some quite close to stream drainages.

I hold no fault to our farmers who choose to lease land to solar developers. I do take fault with mass govt subsidies from past administration that allowed solar developers to offer landowners exorbitant offers without any strings pertaining to land use.

Many if not all of the industrial scale solar projects would not be financially viable without significant govt subsidies.

 

[troutbert]

You can do a Google search for "solar farms", then click Images, then you can scroll through many photos of solar installations and see the vegetation on the ground.

 

[dudemanspecial]

Many if not all of the industrial scale solar projects would not be financially viable without significant govt subsidies.

The US government subsidizes billions to all forms of energy. And farming. Why take issue with just solar?

 

[dudemanspecial]

Do you guys ever drive past power transmission line paths and wonder how the vegetation isn't a jungle in there?

 

[Trapshooter]

Do you guys ever drive past power transmission line paths and wonder how the vegetation isn't a jungle in there?

They mow it 2 times a year nearby me.

 

[Mike]

The US government subsidizes billions to all forms of energy. And farming. Why take issue with just solar?

That could be a lengthy list and the specific discussion here is solar related, so I would not expect to necessarily see other subsidies/tax incentives brought up.

As for landowners being told what to do with their land is concerned, in the cases of properties receiving tax incentives for certain types of development, requirements may be part of the deal.