BIG CONCERNS IN KANSAS

Protect Kansas Counties from IRRESPONSIBLY PLACED Industrial Utility-Scale Solar Facilites

Kansas Citizens Take Action, Raise Your Voices…NOW

Our rural neighborhoods and communities are being besieged by energy companies who are aggressively securing as much agriculturally zoned land as they can in our counties to build large, utility-scale, industrial solar facilities.

Why in our rural communities?
Because its cheaper for energy companies to use our rich agriculturally zoned land to take advantage of lower development costs.  

 

It is critical to get involved NOW if you want to preserve your Kansas quality of life,
our beautiful rural land, communities and wildlife habitats.

Raise Your Voice – Concerned Citizen Comments

Professor Barbara Kerr – University of Kansas & Douglas County, KS Resident

Kansas Senator Mike Thompson – The Truth About Renewable Energy

The Real Cost of Utility-Scale Solar

Mark Mills/PragerU – What’s the Real Cost of Solar & Wind Energy?

Roger Boyd Ph.D. – President of Douglas County, KS Chapter Santa Fe Trail Association

A Simpler Solution for Climate Change

Kiss the Ground Documentary – A simple solution for climate change

Kansas Senator Mike Thompson – Decomissioning Utility-Scale Solar

CONCERNS IN JOHNSON COUNTY, KS & DOUGLAS COUNTY, KS

West Gardner Utility-Scale Solar Facility Proposed by NextEra Energy

 

Who is NextEra Energy?
They are the World’s Largest Producer of Wind and Solar Energy and owner of Florida Power & Light.

If completed, the West Gardner Solar Project potentially would include one of the largest battery storage systems in the U.S. In June, LS Power Group brought online the first phase of its planned 250-MW Gateway Energy Storage Project, a 62.5-MW initial segment that at the time was the largest operational battery storage facility in the country, according to S&P Market Intelligence data.

The Interactive Layered Map Below shows the massive scope of NextEra’s proposed Douglas County/Johnson County, KS Utility-Scale Solar Facility Project.  The proposed development area is on top of and directly adjacent to 200 + homes in JUST the 0 – <1 mile “hard impact” area.  There are hundreds more homes that will also be impacted.  Where is your home in proximity to this proposed massive Utility-Scale Solar Facility?  How do you feel about it?

VIEW FULL MAP & DETAILS

 

Help Your County Planning Commission and Commissioners Craft STRONG Solar Regulations…No Regrets!

For Kansas County Elected Officials to protect their residents, STRONG SOLAR REGULATIONS are critial legislation.  Regulations that clearly and consistently outline the provisions that are required by our counties to be included in all Utility-Scale Solar project proposals submitted by all energy companies.

Energy and Utility companies in general make a lot of promises when it comes to Utility-Scale Solar: increased revenue, jobs, little to no impact on the environment and property values. Solar Regulations that clearly define the provisions of a developer’s obligations will protect and preserve Kansas quality of life, our agricultural heritage, the character of our counties and our environment.

Protecting Agricultural Land, Wetlands & Waterways

Strong and consistent County Solar Regulations will clearly govern the siting of industrial utility-scale solar power facilities. Avoidance of agricultural land, wetlands and waterways is important.  Incentives should be considered for guiding Utility-Scale Solar Power Facilities to the more than 300 Brownfield (contaminated) Sites that exist across both Douglas and Johnson counties.

Preserving Historical Sites

Did you know there is a ton of history right under your feet?  Our counties are Glaciated Regions, our rich, sandy soils are a result of giant galciers passing over our land between 2.6 million and 11,700 years ago.  Civil War battles were fought right here, and the historic Santa Fe and Oregon Trails pass right through our counties.  Given the number of historic sites in Douglas and Johnson County, KS and around the country, we advocate for NO Utility-Scale Solar on historic sites.

Limiting Utility-Scale Solar Facility Size

Strong Regulations will clearly define the acceptable size of a solar power facilities allowed in our counties: Total acreage of a project, number of acres of panels, total acres allowed in a county,
and distance between projects.

 

Solar Facility Setbacks and Buffers

NextEra and other energy corporations claim that solar power plants do not negatively impact property values. If that were true, impacted landowners would not be opposing these projects.

In order to protect adjacent landowners and protect the rural character of our communities, regulations must include generous, clearly defined setbacks and landscape buffers.

Decommissioning Regulations to Protect Counties and Taxpayers

A strong Decommissioning Plan specifies what must happen when the Utiltiy-Scale Solar Facility is no longer operating.

Utiltiy-Scale Solar Developers will try to ignore and/or downplay decommissioning.
Decommissioning massive solar projects is a very important issue for our counties.  Developers will try to claim that the net salvage value of their “dead” Solar Facility will exceed the cost of decommissioning.

Utiltiy-Scale Solar Developers usually sell their interest in their Solar Plant after 2 – 3 years of operation. This means that they will be long-gone by the time decommissioning comes around

Did you know?  Ownership of Utiltiy-Scale Solar Facilities turns over many times during the life of a system.
Most solar developers/operators are LLCs. They can walk away from their Solar Projects whenever they want to.