Solar Fields near you in New York State
Is the use of farm land and wooded land for solar panel mass tile installations the best use of New York open land? Is the covering of natural scapes with little regulation and oversight worth while? Consider it before allowing your town to move forward with a solar farm. Different sites may have different issues that require design and proper engineering in addition to local property owner input. Your feelings and situation may vary. In the case of Crow Hill water retention and recharge is a major issue due to the facts listed by the EPA , DEC, and local property owner experience. There are other facts such as wildlife and historic property. You should get involved to ensure your town board protects its townspeople from risk and unnecessary long term costs. After all, who is profiting from this? Not the residents by large measure, the solar developer and investors are. So review the facts carefully and voice your views of what should be done to prevent issues. Solar farms are something the State and most people want, so long as they are properly designed, not quickly thrown up with out proper regard to all the affected people in the area - they can be made to work if the siting, layout, and engineering is properly executed. Read here and the links to know more about solar farms in the Lloyd Platekill town area.
Solar farms are popping up all over. It is a good return on investment for the companies involved in the business of building the solar farm and the sale of the electricity generated. Solar electricity is one of the cleanest methods of generating electricity we know at this time. It is practical compared to other methods. Many people opt for solar on their homes and many businesses place it on roofs and parking lot canopies. Now it has become popular to clear large tracts of land, often farm land and replace that open space with solar panels. What effects might this have on your community? Have the impacts been fully investigated by town boards, planning and zoning? Have thhe people of the town had time to fully decide how to deal with this when it comes to their community?
This is the south westerly corner of the solar farm project where with no solar panels the water runs and is muddy here all year long. Any rain causes water to run here because this slope has very little soil and the soil is a silty clay classified soil by the DEC and EPA that does not absorb water well and seals off easily. The slope here is too steep to control water with normal means and there is not enough soil to absorb the water and recharge the water table. The rock here is very hard and comes right up and out of the surface in many places.
The apple orchard is still being farmed and we watch as the apples are picked this past season, trees pruned and sprayed, and dozens of trucks haul the abundant farm produce to market. This is a going and functioning productive farm. The Carson Solar Engineers claim in the EAF that the farm is not functioning and that is simply not true. Why did they attempt to deceive the Plattekill Planning Board? It looks like the NY Solar Guide Book for Planning Boards says on page 133 quote:
"It is important to acknowledge that prioritization and preservation of agricultural lands is a foundational principle for NYS.
According to the NYS Constitution, “the policy of the State shall be to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic
beauty and encourage the development and improvement of its agricultural lands for the production of food and other
agricultural products” (NYS Const. Art. XIV § 4). "
This makes it seem as if their EAF submission was crafted on this question to snake between the issue. Clearly they knew this question would come up and they chose to hide the operating farm from the board. The regulations state that operating farms should not be converted in this way.
Moving the solar panels off this south westerly face would improve the project design greatly reducing uncontrollable run off.
They also plan to have a LION battery bank located here near this historic home with a cedar wood roof and its historic irreplaceable architectural value. Again a problem they ignored. They were told this nearly 300 year old property is valuable to culture and preservation yet they did not even mention it in their filings. The battery banks at solar farms have exploded in flames more than 4 times this year alone in NY State and the fire departments say the ferocious nature of these fires spitting flames and debris take 3 to 5 days to extinguish. Locating the battery farm close to a historic property is a bad idea and damages the historic nature of this site. It is also a fire department hazard. Why? Because the fire department can not carry 3 to 5 days of water on a truck - they need the ponds in the back and if the battery bank is located here they will have to drive past it and can not reliable and timely pump water that far, so these batteries need to be also moved over the ridge just a few hundred feet east along with the panels to mitigate these two major issues. This would allow lots of water supply and no impact on road access if they were on fire. Additionally Walker has 5 trailers people do or may live in as rental properties, these people in addition to my children, animals and lands would be seriously harmed by the fire departments water runoff containing all the chemicals in the battery banks that is melting and burning. Some firefighter training https://hct-world.com/how-to-put-out-a-lithium-ion-battery-fire/#:~:text=Water%20mist%20has%20proven%20to,water%20and%20time%20is%20required. https://youtu.be/s1431hiRKH8?si=qvG0fHpaV_abiP7l or https://youtu.be/yGDkiUAwxRs?si=DJsYRK3YQOiSHoPb and this educational document https://youtu.be/yGDkiUAwxRs?si=DJsYRK3YQOiSHoPb
Some items to consider thus far. We do not know all the imapacts solar will have in the form of fields lost to solar panels. However some environmental experts, engineers, and conservationists - while they love the idea of solar electricity generation, have growing concerns that you need to begin to think about.
Runoff-
A solar panel on a home or business or parking lot has no additional runoff versus what is already there. The roof runs its water to a controlled drain. The parking lot has drainage. These systems absorb the water and slowly recharge the ground water with a engineered system. Solar fields constructed thus far in NY have no appreciable runoff systems. Some say the footings and concrete pilings have no impact but they do add up and there will be less live vegetation growing in a field covered with panels close together and close to the ground. This problem of close to the ground and close together coupled with no water control is a potential problem for downstream homes and towns. It is likely rain water will run more quickly from a solar panel site because the panels do not absorb and generally have no gutter systems to send water to a recharge system. Lower amounts of vigorous vegetation will not be there to stop the flow and sediment will erode from the land, nutrients will deplete and wash down to other places affecting wildlife and streams. There are many potential impacts to wildlife in these fields as well.
Here is the rainfall estimates for the area and the chart showing the 25 YEAR time frame the solar field is expected to be operational according to Carson Solar (if the panels lat that long) as provided by
Extreme Precipitation Tables Northeast Regional Climate Center Data represents point estimates calculated from partial duration series. All precipitation amounts are displayed in inches.
State New York Location Ulster, New York, United States
Extreme Precipitation Estimates
5min 10min 15min 30min 60min 120min 1hr 2hr 3hr 6hr 12hr 24hr 48hr 1day 2day 4day 7day 10day
1yr 0.30 0.46 0.58 0.75 0.94 1.18 1yr 0.81 1.10 1.36 1.69 2.09 2.60 3.01 1yr 2.30 2.90 3.37 3.98 4.57 1yr
2yr 0.36 0.56 0.70 0.92 1.15 1.45 2yr 1.00 1.32 1.67 2.07 2.56 3.16 3.59 2yr 2.80 3.45 3.98 4.65 5.28 2yr
5yr 0.42 0.66 0.83 1.11 1.42 1.80 5yr 1.23 1.64 2.08 2.59 3.21 3.96 4.55 5yr 3.50 4.38 4.99 5.73 6.50 5yr
10yr 0.47 0.74 0.94 1.28 1.66 2.13 10yr 1.43 1.93 2.47 3.08 3.81 4.70 5.45 10yr 4.16 5.24 5.93 6.72 7.62 10yr
25yr 0.56 0.88 1.12 1.55 2.05 2.64 25yr 1.77 2.39 3.08 3.86 4.80 5.89 6.92 25yr 5.22 6.66 7.46 8.31 9.41 25yr
According to this chart provided by Cornell University and widely used by Government agencies https://precip.eas.cornell.edu/#/data_and_products this shows the rainfall listed in the plan docs is far below the likely 5.89" and 9.41" experiences we will have on Crow Hill at some time during the life of this site. This indicates the plan needs design work to mitigate a 10" rain fall event on saturated silty clay soils with bedrock at surface levels on 10 degree plus slopes covered with solar panels.
Flooding downhill the water may overrun streams and flood homes, businesses, and roads. Are all these flooding events going to stay the same after a local field is covered with solar panels? Most likely these fields will increase the amount of running water flowing onto surrounding areas.
These waters will carry the dirt - silt and clay, along with the contaminants the apple farms have sprayed and spread onto their fields for decades. These silts will end up washing down into the streams and fill them eventually ending up in your back yard.
This is one reason why towns should strongly encourage solar on rooftops and parking lots instead of farm fields. In fact building codes, oversight and policy should ease the use of existing structures for solar panels. Large companies may not like this idea as much because they will make less on generation from small projects however local property owners may save and generally get a ROI within a short time. Helping your towns people is more important than helping some investor in most local peoples opinion.
Heat -
According to some solar farms generate more heat into the air, and they have many components that generate heat when they convert the DC voltage to AC and send it to the power lines. Solar panels are black and very hot in sunlight, they use aluminum frames to dissipate the heat to the air around them. When a large installation is made it might raise local temperatures near your properties.
What will you do if the temperatures rise above the natural wildlife normal conditions? Will it impact your home? Gardens? Animals? The money field owners can make to do no work on those lands is attractive, however in the long run is it the best solution? Or would you prefer a distributed spread out solution that generates the same heat gain because a roof or parking lot is already there getting warm in the sun. Why add more when there are places it can already be approved? Do you believe you will actually save money that is worth it with a local solar farm? Perhaps or most likely the price will rise to the same it was in a short time. Would you rather own it? Would you rather town policies promote homeowner and property owner panel installations?
Fire Risk and Lithium Storage Batteries - The fire fighters comments
A fire fighter from the area mentioned that they had been to training warning them about the severe risks of fire from electric storage batteries, LION and other types. They explained that car battery fires are extremely severe, explosive, and sudden. These batteries store a lot of energy. When they fail they can burn, explode, and spew fire and debris. As a result they use foam to suppress them with a system to surround the battery fire. These foams are generally hazardous and contain chemicals known to cause health issues. They can use a dyke system or containment to fill with this foam or water. In the case of solar battery fields this is a challenge. There is no fire hydrant system in a farm field. There is no containment wall planned in the drawings. There is no cylinders of foam. There is no dyke or walls to keep the foam within the slab the batteries sit on. Where will these poisonous fire fighting chemicals go? Into the ground around the battery field unless a containment system and automatic fire system is designed to stop it. This is a issues with any solar battery field. The problem with contaminating the ground is these chemicals will last for a long time in your soil. During the fire the air is contaminated, These fires are explosive and can send fire through the air to nearby houses. Here is a recent problem with NY Solar Farms that Governor Hochul is trying to understand : https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/after-three-fires-and-a-solar-plant-toxic-fumes-scare-new-york-launches-safety-probe-into-battery-energy-storage/2-1-1493418
This is the south westerly corner of the solar farm project where with no solar panels the water runs and is muddy here all year long. Any rain causes water to run here because this slope has very little soil and the soil is a silty clay classified soil by the DEC and EPA that does not absorb water well and seals off easily. The slope here is too steep to control water with normal means and there is not enough soil to absorb the water and recharge the water table. The rock here is very hard and comes right up and out of the surface in many places.
The apple orchard is still being farmed and we watch as the apples are picked this past season, trees pruned and sprayed, and dozens of trucks haul the abundant farm produce to market. This is a going and functioning productive farm. The Carson Solar Engineers claim in the EAF that the farm is not functioning and that is simply not true. Why did they attempt to deceive the Plattekill Planning Board? It looks like the NY Solar Guide Book for Planning Boards says on page 133 quote:
"It is important to acknowledge that prioritization and preservation of agricultural lands is a foundational principle for NYS.
According to the NYS Constitution, “the policy of the State shall be to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic
beauty and encourage the development and improvement of its agricultural lands for the production of food and other
agricultural products” (NYS Const. Art. XIV § 4). "
This makes it seem as if their EAF submission was crafted on this question to snake between the issue. Clearly they knew this question would come up and they chose to hide the operating farm from the board. The regulations state that operating farms should not be converted in this way.
Moving the solar panels off this south westerly face would improve the project design greatly reducing uncontrollable run off.
They also plan to have a LION battery bank located here near this historic home with a cedar wood roof and its historic irreplaceable architectural value. Again a problem they ignored. They were told this nearly 300 year old property is valuable to culture and preservation yet they did not even mention it in their filings. The battery banks at solar farms have exploded in flames more than 4 times this year alone in NY State and the fire departments say the ferocious nature of these fires spitting flames and debris take 3 to 5 days to extinguish. Locating the battery farm close to a historic property is a bad idea and damages the historic nature of this site. It is also a fire department hazard. Why? Because the fire department can not carry 3 to 5 days of water on a truck - they need the ponds in the back and if the battery bank is located here they will have to drive past it and can not reliable and timely pump water that far, so these batteries need to be also moved over the ridge just a few hundred feet east along with the panels to mitigate these two major issues. This would allow lots of water supply and no impact on road access if they were on fire. Additionally Walker has 5 trailers people do or may live in as rental properties, these people in addition to my children, animals and lands would be seriously harmed by the fire departments water runoff containing all the chemicals in the battery banks that is melting and burning.
Effects on wildlife -
Hard to know but we all know if they loose their favorite food, if their locations look different, if they notice temperature change. Animals do not like those things. Some may do well, perhaps mice, rabbits and more will prefer hiding under the panels. What will they eat? These are questions for experts that we are looking for more input from. An environmental impact study needs to be done and compared to actual installations from years ago with analysis and comparisons along with local environmental government and state input. Be very careful, it takes years to measure and notice these impacts on fish, birds, and insects.
Decommissioning -
When the panels are worn out who will take them down? Will the town people require a bond and insurance to ensure the land is protected? If a new technology comes along and the field of panels if defunct what will the contingency plan be? What will the town do to adjust for lost tax revenue they thought they had ? In as little as 10 year some fields become less profitable and investors may pull the plug. As more fields are build the returns may diminish and your town might be left with a field of waste material. The panels require recycling, the chemicals in them can not be landfilled, they need to be separated from the metals, glass, and other chemicals. The heavy piers need to be removed. The land needs to be replanted, it can not be left as bare soil can it?
Maintenance of the land -
The property owner may be required to sign a maintenance agreement. However they are ill equipped to do this and will likely have trouble if something happens. This needs to be considered a responsibility of the owner operator and bonded/insured. Repossession of the property is not desirable for the town. There needs to be a strong and perpetual contract on the owner of the panels along with a presumption that they may not be able to pay in the future. The town should not bear any costs if things go poorly. What about wear and tear on the roads due to water runoff and trucks? It would be wise to require the project owners pay for periodic resurfacing and drainage repairs.
Sediment and soil contaminants will wash down stream and settle in your back yards where your children play and animals and wildlife live.
Other ways to improve the adoption of solar in the area:
Regulations need to made more easy and friendly for home owners and property owners to self install, in fact some some codes recently passed in your county have made solar adoption more costly with no improvement in building code safety. These recent policies have merely enriched some electrical companies without doing anything for capable home owners. The standards are already in place, systems already exist, the modern solar panel kits and systems are nearly turn key with a lot of support. There are many local solar panel installers who do great work. Getting policy to lower cost is the path to adoption for property owners. The fact is if you could put solar on your house for less it would help you when the power goes down, lower your bills, and not make one impact on the local living conditions of neighbors and wildlife. It would likely save you money and help the environment.
Some have strong arguments for the solar fields, however when you take time to think the questions through you will be more able to make an informed decision.
Do not let your town simply push this issue through, it is not a task to get done. This is a issue that may have lasting effects and should be discussed publicly. Every meeting should be publicly announced with the agenda and times of each discussion, who is present, speaking and the recording posted. The representatives should post on their social media their positions and the town web site should have comments opened up to be provided to the participants and representatives at all meetings. This is something that appears to be done in only some towns.
Go look at some of these local fields, stop by, take 5 minutes to look, think. Think about the motivations, the benefits and the risks. It should be your needs as a member of the town that come first. If you feel it is a good improvement that helps the town let them know. If you are not certain let them know. Its your town.
Here is the ulster counter Water Shed document:
https://ulstercountyny.gov/sites/default/files/documents/osp_final_sec3.pdf
More sources of info:
https://license.umn.edu/product/pv-smart-solar-runoff-calculator-version-30/print
https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/stormwater
Solar Field HEAT ISLAND information:
https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/learn-about-heat-islands
Resources you should know about:
NY State SEQR and EAF process regulates the review and risk assessment of projects on the environment. This regulation protects citizens from developers and town bodies that may forgo or otherwise allow actions that cause you harm. Generally all commercial projects are subject to the Environmental Assessment Form review and SEQR review. This review is provided to all other affected governmental agencies. These other agencies may weigh in on their view. The public should be provided with this information to comment prior to a decision by your elected officials.
https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/seqr/eaf-workbooks
https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/stormwater
Calculator by University of Minnesota to determine solar panel runoff:
Natural Communities listed by DEC on their maps
https://gisservices.dec.ny.gov/gis/erm/natComVic.html
US ACE
https://www.usace.army.mil/missions/environmental/
US EPA Stormwater Maps
https://swcweb.epa.gov/stormwatercalculator/soiltype
Wetlands Mapper USGS
https://fwsprimary.wim.usgs.gov/wetlands/apps/wetlands-mapper/
DEC proposed new rules to deal with wetlands being damaged:
https://dec.ny.gov/nature/waterbodies/wetlands/freshwater-wetlands-program
some local info:
https://sites.google.com/view/ulstercounty-solar-farm-issues/home
How solar field developers like Carson make money:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-solar-developer-makes-money-casey-gilley/
Agricultural Regulations
2023-Solar-Guidebook.pdf
FEMA Floodplain Mapping tool address lookup and Regulatory Floodways
https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search
Video example of water and ice build up on Crow Hill Road damaging the new road and causing ice hazards. High water volume already running over the falls.
https://youtu.be/aysqe6oM_n8?si=2YofljPSIZNjXj3D
Town of LLOYD Planning Board 12 Church Street Highland, NY 12528 Regular Meeting
Fourth Thursday at 7:00pmEmail: svannostrand@townoflloyd.com Phone: 845-691-2144 x 117
Minutes of Planning Board Meetings are available in the Building Department during regular business hours.
Note: First Alternate is vacant
Board Members
Scott McCarthy Chair Carl Dilorenzo Member
Charly Long Vice Chair Sal Cuciti Member Franco Zani Member
Lambros Violaris 1st. Alternate Gerald Marion Member William Meltzer Member
Town Of Plattekill 1914 US-44, Modena, NY 12548
Richard Gorres: Chairman Cindy Hilbert: Vice Chair Ernie Vandemark: Board Member Nathaniel Baum: Board Member
George Hickey: Board Member Darlene Ruscelli: Board Member Richard Dmtry: Board Member
Janice Stryker: Clerk. 883-7331 ext #18 Email: jstryker@town.plattekill.ny.us
MHE Engineering: Planning Board Engineer https://www.mhepc.com/contact/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlhq4otPquI
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GujKdJmxGtHrprxp6
Ice builds up across Crow Hill Road the entire winter, this is a serious hazard to walkers, cars, and damages the roadway. https://photos.app.goo.gl/6kA5ffYqHEv3zn3s6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FPp2rBfbReiKaL439
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kWgxGWmeQehtmisY9