Rural residents who don’t farm turned out for a public informational meeting June 27 hosted by National Grid Renewables, doing business as Grand Junction Solar. The informational meeting is one step in applying to the Iowa Utilities Board for a permit for the solar project located south of Grand Junction (IUB Docket No GCU-2022-0001).
About 20 persons attended the meeting. After hearing from IUB representatives about the process IUB uses in considering permits, National Grid Renewables project developer Sidney Beck and senior permitting specialist William Risse provided information.
Grand Junction Solar would use 950 acres for solar panels with a capacity to generate 100MW of power. The solar field would be paired with a 50MW battery storage installation.
The project was sited to connect to the electric grid at the Karma substation on Highway 144 south of Grand Junction. The solar panels would be located on both sides of the road.
According to National Grid Renewables, Grand Junction Solar would pay $2.93 million, ($117,000 annually) in property taxes over 25 years. Of that, $55,000 annually would go to Greene County; $48,000 would go to Greene County Community Schools; and $14,600 would go to Junction Township.
Grand Junction Solar would create 3-5 fulltime jobs with a total payroll of $300,000 annually. It also anticipates $20,000 per year in charitable giving.
Risse said the solar installation would be about the same height as full grown corn. The racks holding the solar panels would tilt as the sun moves overhead, tilting toward the east in the morning, being level to the ground at noon, and then tilting toward the west later in the day. The panels will automatically go to their flat (level) position during a high wind event.
Topsoil moved during construction would be replaced once the work is finished, and the area directly under the panels would be seeded with native, long-rooted vegetation. Grazing is sometimes possible amongst the solar panels.
The storage portion of the project would take up about two acres on the west side of Highway 144, across from the existing substation. The storage cells would be 8-10 ft tall and resemble semi-trailers or shipping containers. The 150 units would be fenced.
National Grid Renewable hopes to complete the permitting process and obtain all needed easements to begin construction in the autumn of 2023 and be operational by Dec. 31, 2024.
The project will be decommissioned or re-permitted after 35 years.
As of June 27, Grand Junction Solar had an easement agreement with only one landowner. Project developer Beck said the company is working with others.
None of the eight or so people who asked questions identified themselves as owners of farmland. The majority of them own or live on acreages near or adjacent to the proposed project.
Mary Ellen Holz asked for an aerial picture of a 950-acre solar installation. “I just want to be able to picture what this would look like,” she said. Risse did not have one available.
Holz also asked about aerial spraying near the installation, citing the FAA’s glare requirements. She was asked to submit the question in writing to the IUB.
GreeneCountyNewsOnline asked about the value of the easements or purchase of land as compared to revenue produced by row crops on the land. Risse could not provide information about the easements, but said that “in general, this is good agricultural land. We understand that. That’s why we’re implementing measures to ensure that preserved following the life of the project.”
Terry Hoefle, longtime Grand Junction fire department member, asked about fire safety concerns and precautions. Risse said there is a risk of grass fires, but that professional operators minimize the risk. The battery storage installation includes fire suppression in each container and an auto shut-off in the case of fire. All emergency responders will have an opportunity for training in responding to potential emergencies.
The project is planned with a 300-ft setback from a residence and a 50-ft setback from a property line. Grand Junction Solar will plant screens, similar to windbreaks, to block the view of the solar installation from residences.
There will also be a 7-ft fence around each installation. Risse said it would take about five years for the screens to grow to a height of 7 feet. He explained that planting larger trees have a lower chance of survival, and the cost factor favors planting smaller trees.
Lerae Herrick said the survival of larger trees “just takes a little more care and preparation. I think, in this case, we deserve that. We’re going to be surrounded by 7 feet-tall towers and fences. That looks like a prison. I think we deserve a little bit better view since you’re taking all of our view.”
Shelly Fouch said many landowners who couldn’t be at the informational meeting are “way unhappy with everything that’s happened. They’re not happy with the setbacks. That’s totally unfair to them.”
She said she was happy to learn the field across the road from her home is no longer in the project. “I’m totally relieved, but it doesn’t change my opinion. The acreage owners are not being treated fairly. We didn’t move out to the country to see this and drive by it every single day until I’m dead. That’s what it’s going to be for me.”
“I understand that,” said Beck of Grand Junction Solar. “Those landowners do have my contact information to hopefully get something resolved. I understand it’s not going to be a perfect world… I picture my job as bridging the gap between the acreage owner and the landowner around them to make it work for everybody.”
Comments and questions raised at the informational hearing must also be submitted in writing to the IUB to be considered as the IUB makes a permitting decision.
Owners of a proposed project must wait at least 30 days after the informational meeting to petition the IUB for a certificate to construct, operate and maintain the facility. The IUB reviews the petition and sets a date for a public hearing. Owners of property within 1,000 feet of the proposed project will receive notice of the public hearing, and it must also be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. After the public hearing, the IUB will determine if the certificate will be granted.
