A Unity supervisor and several other residents voiced concerns this week about a proposed solar farm’s potential negative impact on local property values, quality of life and health and safety in the township.
Ninemile Run Solar Master Tenant LLC and parent company GreenKey Solar are seeking a special exception from the township to construct the solar array on about 34 agriculturally-zoned acres along Charles Houck Road, north of Route 982.
After close to two hours of testimony Tuesday for and against the development, GreenKey representative Tracy Tackett agreed to submit more detailed information about the solar technology and related impact studies as the township zoning panel continued its hearing on the company’s plan.
Tackett cited a study indicating any noise emanating from the solar power equipment would have minimal impact on surrounding properties.
Once construction of the array is complete, Tackett said, the only noise would be humming of fans that run while the sun is out, to cool electricity inverters. Those units convert the direct current generated by the solar panels to alternating current that would be sold to utility company Penn Power.
Tackett said sound from the fans has been measured at 60 decibels, similar to the noise generated by an air conditioner.
“As you go away from the inverters, the sound reduces quite quickly,” she said. “You don’t hear it more than 60 feet away.”
The solar array would be at least 100 feet away from the road or adjoining property lines, she said.
Tackett couldn’t say how many solar panels, inverters or fans would be included in the array. She said her company normally doesn’t begin design work on a proposed array until it has passed any initial zoning hurdles, but she said she would have a preliminary design ready when the hearing resumes.
Several residents expressed skepticism about Tackett’s assertions.
Route 982 resident William Muir suggested the fans might become noisier as they age.
Hughes Road resident Geraldine Boring said the proposed array would be in a hollow that naturally extends sounds. “It echoes down through there,” she said.
Muir also asked whether the electromagnetic force generated at the solar site might affect people like him who have pacemakers.
Citing a study from California, Tackett said, “The (solar) panels don’t generate electromagnetic waves. The inverters do, but they tend to dissipate quite quickly, within 10 to 20 feet.”
According to township ordinance requirements, a solar farm may not be located in a flood plain, must be located on a lot of at least 25 acres, must be set back at least 100 feet from any adjoining lot, must not create glare for neighboring properties and must comply with all state and federal regulations.
The township zoning board can add additional conditions. Solicitor Dave DeRose suggested, if the exception is granted, that the panel require the array to pass muster with the Federal Aviation Administration, because of its proximity to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.
Tackett said the company intends to comply with all the ordinance requirements. She said the panels are dark-colored, to absorb sunlight, and shouldn’t create any more glare than would a natural feature such as a pond.
“Where will they be pointing?” neighboring resident Marie Worsham asked of the solar panels’ planned tilt. “My bedroom is facing directly toward the field.”
Property owner Joseph Stas, who intends to lease the site to GreenKey, said young trees planted in an area between the proposed array and Charles Houck Road should provide a visual buffer once they’ve grown.
Boring said she believes the array would be “a big black sea” that migrating Canada geese might mistake as a body of water, tricking them into attempting a hazardous landing.
Tackett also referred to a study suggesting a solar farm’s impact on surrounding property values is “negligible or close to none.” She said the study was conducted in Illinois, where GreenKey is operating about 100 solar farms. The Unity site is one of about 10 additional solar farms the company wants to develop in Pennsylvania, she said.
Zoning panel member Jackie Nindel said she’d prefer hearing local real estate experts weigh in on the issue of property values. Tackett said she would attempt to produce such a expert when the hearing resumes.
Regarding property values, Route 982 resident Jack Krall said, “If you are in the line of sight, visibly looking at these panels, you will absolutely be affected.
“What plan developer is going to say, ‘Boy, I’d like to have this place to put a bunch of homes on.’ Not if you’re staring at panels.”
Route 982 resident Mark Ferry praised Stas’s stewardship of the property up to this point, but he expressed concern about heavy equipment damaging local roads during construction of the solar array.
Ferry noted a similar array has been developed in Cook Township. “It’s absolutely horrendous,” he said.
Tackett said GreenKey would comply with whatever requirements Unity may have for protecting roads.
Unity Supervisor Mike O’Barto testified in opposition to the array, suggesting township zoning officials need more information about solar power generating equipment and its potential effects before rendering a decision on the GreenKey proposal.
“There are a lot of questions that ought to be answered, and we don’t have all the facts,” O’Barto said.
Stas said he believes some of the neighboring residents’ concerns may be valid, adding that he welcomes the exploration of more information when the hearing resumes.
“My biggest concern would be property values, if that’s real,” Stas said.
DeRose indicated the conclusion of the hearing might be delayed for as long as 90 days, depending on the time Tackett requires to gather more information.
Tackett argued the solar array could provide a potential benefit to the community. “It diversifies electrical sources locally instead of just being dependent on some source far away, if there are some issues.”
O’Barto suggested township officials need to get advice from an engineer about solar technology and possibly revisit pertinent Unity requirements.
“The ordinance itself, to me, after dong some research, is very vague,” he said. “But that’s the best that we had.
“We need more information. We need a better study.”
Tackett said the typical lifespan for a solar farm can be 30 to 40 years, after which many of its components could be reused elsewhere or recycled. Stas said he’s discussed leasing the site to GreenKey for 20 years with potential five-year extensions.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at [email protected].
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