Keep land, water, nature and our properties safe from utility solar in Wyandot County OH!

In Tymochtee and part of Sycamore Township, there is an application turned into the Ohio Power Sitting Board to turn 600-1,600 acres of farmland into a solar field. Many local farmers have leased their farmland for this to be made possible. If the application is approved the installation process for the solar fields is about a year. 

During installation, there will be poles pounded in the ground. The noise not only offers problems to the people that live close to these fields but can also stress local animals, including farm animals. These poles will hold up the solar panels, which will adjust and follow the sun. When solar panels are manufactured they create toxic waste and can possibly cause contamination to the water at the sight of the manufacture [1]. It is unclear where the panels will be manufactured. Most are manufactured in China, but new legislation may be changing this. According to the people in charge of the project, there should be no concern of contamination when the panels are in the fields (public meeting on Aug 4). In the US manufacturer must comply with the policies created by OSHA safeguarding employees as they work with making the panels [1]. According to Sciencing.com, solar panels may include Cadmium Telluride, Copper Indium Selenide, Cadmium Indium gallium (Di)selenide, and Silicon Tetrachloride [2]. These materials can cause lung damage when inhaled [2]. Though it is said that once these panels are manufactured and placed in the fields they do not cause toxic hazardous it is concerning to someone that will live close to these panels that these materials are so close to my home and water supply. I’m sure that more people feel the same, especially since these are not the only concerns these solar panels cause.       

 600-1,600 acres of land is a lot. Since these are farming fields there will be less food production, as well as fewer plants taking out carbon dioxide in the air. With fewer crops in the fields, this can not only affect the food supply for people, but also for animals. As many locals know there are lots of deer in the area, as well as other wildlife such as raccoons. The crops can allow food access for these animals as well as a safe passage for travel. If the animals can not have their needs met they will migrate. If they do stay and deers do not have a safe place to travel they will be pushed more into people’s yards and the road. If more deer are traveling via road this can cause more car crashes. This will cause additional expenses for the public and take more of the law enforcement time who must fill out these reports. Additional animals who may be impacted are predatory birds and rodents. Rodents may hide under these solar panels, where birds such as eagles and hawks can not get to them. This will cause the birds to migrate leaving the rodent population to grow, which can later cause trouble for residents near that area. 

It is important for renewable energy and for carbon storage to be explored. However, when implementing “green energy” we need to make sure it is good for the environment and safe. Solar energy is to have less impact on the environment, but at what cost to the animals and people around the solar fields. I do not want to think about what will happen to the local wildlife and I definitely don't want to think what the worse could mean to those that live around the proposed solar fields. Join me in signing this petition to help show that we do not appreciate or want to live next to solar fields. 

 --1  https://stanfordmag.org/contents/the-possibility-of-a-solar-powered-nation-nitty-gritty?fbclid=IwAR2cu5kgyVZfDGhhmrPVfpZEMUWHbyOCVolmok05ppfuUNipOEx4L4b2_Us 

2 https://sciencing.com/toxic-chemicals-solar-panels-18393.html

Danielle Depinet    Contact the author of the petition