Effingham County residents packed a recent Wind and Solar Committee hearing about a commercial solar farm proposed at the corner of Mason Eberle Road and North 1275th Street by Mason Plains, LLC. The five-hour long meeting generated a plethora of information, questions and testimony.
Representatives for Nexamp, the company that owns Mason Plains, LLC, explained how they signed a lease agreement with the Warner family in 2022 because the land is close to an Ameren substation, there’s easy access to utility lines, and it’s clear and flat land.
Approximately 15 acres would be used for the solar facility, with the other 15 acres being occupied by setbacks, a security fence and a line of trees. A pollinator-friendly seed mix including native plants would be grown between the solar panels, and Nexamp would be responsible for maintaining all the plants.
People and businesses could subscribe to the 3.6 megawatt solar facility, with no upfront cost or long-term commitment for credits on their energy bills, said Jack Curry, Nexamp’s Director of Business Development.
“The point of community solar is to allow the folks who maybe can’t install panels on top of their roofs or around their homes or businesses to receive the financial benefits of their share of the solar project,” said Curry. “Typically, those come in at about 10 to 15 percent off of the generation on the utility bills.”
The 16-foot tall panels would tilt towards the sun and be installed on posts without using concrete. The only noise source would come from the inverter placed in the center of the project, and since the equipment only runs during daytime hours, there would be no noise at night.
“We believe this project not only complies with the law, the state law and your county ordinance, but how this is also the type of project that we don’t believe that it’s going to actively harm anyone around it. That it’s not going to create any active harm for any of the neighbors,” said Seth Uphoff, the attorney representing Nexamp. “When you’re going back and considering land-owner rights, and you’re trying to balance those things, there’s always the balance between the land owner who wants to do something with their property and the land owners who are around that property.”
The land has been in Joseph Warner’s family for generations, and he promised he wouldn’t sell it. When the offer came before him four years ago, he believed it was a good deal.
“I did a lot of research on it. It seemed like a fair deal, and something that I felt that my grandmother would’ve been interested in, to be honest with you,” said Warner. “I think she looked at every dime, and I think she would’ve thought it was a good deal for us.”
However, over 50 concerns were raised by the public, including the lack of plan for the endangered species in the area, damage to the roads, flooding and the increased temperatures to the surrounding area. Some highlighted the abundant discrepancies in Nexamp’s presentation and the application that was submitted to the county.
Dr. Jamie Fergus, who spearheaded a community meeting on June 23 for those opposed to the proposed solar farm project, raised over a dozen concerns she had, including how property values would decrease – although Nexamp’s representatives said otherwise – the negative health effects from the increased heat, and the actual size of the proposed project. Nexamp’s presentation and application gave varying acreages for the solar farm.
Fergus brought several scientific studies to be included in her argument, and estimated that she’d spent 40 to 60 hours researching. She noted that she even took time off work to do so.
“Scientific studies say that heat bubble is 1,000 feet, and it is five to seven-and-a-half degrees hotter during the days due to the increased heat generated by the solar panels,” said Fergus. “This heat is going to increase the risk of heat illness for those of us living within 1,000 feet … To cool our homes, I’m estimating there’s an additional $1,500 to $1,800 a year just to cool our homes. I’ve got calculations in this document that I’ve previously sent.”
A few audience members highlighted how the project sets a precedent for future solar farms in Effingham County, multiple discrepancies were identified and last-minute important items were submitted.
“There was something that you brought up: a comparison to the number of acres that was going to be used in a solar farm here versus the number of agriculture acres in the state of Illinois, and I understand it’s a very, very small ratio,” local resident Carrie Bushue said during public comment. “However, this would be the first solar panel farm in Effingham County, so I feel like that’s kind of maybe not painting a very clear picture because this is setting precedent, and I think that’s why a lot of us are concerned about it.”
“There’s a lot that goes on with this, but it kind of seems, at this point, there’s a lot of discrepancies and things that kind of got thrown under the rug and just kind of tried to get pushed in just so that this could be the first solar farm to get into this county,” said Ethan Watson, who lives near the proposed site. “From there, it spreads like wildfire, in my opinion. I understand, like you said earlier, this was just going to be .000 whatever percent of farm ground in Effingham County, but that’s how it starts.”
“I don’t have a problem with solar. I just wish it wasn’t going on our farmground,” he continued. “I wish it was going on a parking development. You put it somewhere where it’s far away from a bunch of residential homes.”
No decisions were made during the hearing, and it is scheduled to continue on July 15 at 5 p.m. in the third floor boardroom of the county office building.