I am not sure if many people in Montgomery County are aware that there are several industrial solar companies planning to erect industrial solar panels on 10,000-12,000 acres of our valuable, fertile, farm ground. Their leases would extend 25 to 30 years.
This energy will not stay local, but will likely go to our Eastern states. This fertile ground will be forever ruined. There is no practical way to return it to fertility. Even if they do take up these panels, there is no safe way to dispose of them.
It will destroy our natural habitat in these areas including thousands of birds, wild animals, insects, and vegetation of all kinds. Birds will suffer doubly as the intensive rays the panels reflect are deadly to birds. This loss of farm land will mean loss of food for all of us.
Uncontrollable fires are a distinct possibility. Our local and volunteer fire departments don’t have the training, capability or resources to fight these fires. The temperature coming off these solar panels is 30 degrees higher than the actual air temperature.
There will be loss of property values as well as loss of jobs.
Our state of Indiana is part of of the “bread basket’’ of the Midwest. As my late husband, Larry, used to say, “God is not going to make any more farm ground.’’
Nancy Grimes
Crawfordsville
