Renewable, or “green,” energy is clearly the future. From wind-generated power to solar farms. The technology continues to advance, making these options of energy production more viable and competitive with their fossil-fuel counterparts. However, how much do we really know about some of these technologies? What are the true long-terms costs of these, financial and otherwise?

I recently began asking these questions when I read a “Notice of Concept Plan” public announcement regarding an upcoming solar farm project called the Flowing Springs Farm Solar project. The notice was originally published in the Spirit of Jefferson County on April 12, 2023. My first reaction was rather muted, but generally supportive. But after doing some digging, I discovered there’s more to it than all we’ve been told.

Because the Flowing Springs Farm Solar project plans showed the solar farm would be located on farmland right next to my house, I wanted to see what information was available for such situations. For example, I wanted to learn about possible health effects of solar farms, how they affect property values, what happens to wildlife/open spaces and the effects on electricity rates for county residents.

The first concern regarding the solar farm is the potential health issues for people located near it. According to the World Health Organization, there is a potential health risk of electromagnetic hypersensitivity associated with living near solar farms. This condition is characterized by a range of symptoms, like headaches, fatigue, skin rashes and sleep disturbances, that are triggered by exposure to electromagnetic radiation fields. It is a condition caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields near the solar farms.

One study in Australia found that people who live near solar farms are more likely to experience headaches, dizziness and nausea. There could also be an increased risk of cancer in people living near solar farms. Another study shows that exposure to high-frequency radiation from solar farms can increase the risk of cancer, though more research is needed to determine if there is a real link between solar farms and cancer.

In addition to the health risks associated with electromagnetic radiation fields, there is also the fact that these panels contain toxic chemicals. It is probably rare, but the possibility of one or more of these panels being damaged or defective is real, and so too are the potential threats to nearby people and wildlife.

The second issue I would like to highlight is the effects on property values of homes located next to solar farms. Several studies agreed in their discovery, that the closer the property/home is to the solar farm, the higher the rate of property value decline.

In a study published in March 2023, staff from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (University of California, Berkeley) and from the University of Connecticut studied 1,500 large scale solar projects in six different states, which included over 1.8 million home transactions. Their results showed that, overall, property values declined by 1.5 percent for homes within 0.5 miles of the solar farm. However, their results also suggest that these effects are greater for homes closer to a solar farms and for those predominantly in rural agricultural settings (both of which apply to me). The results varied by state. For example, the negative effects ranged from a decline of 4.0 to 5.6 percent for Minnesota, North Carolina and New Jersey.

Another study from the University of Rhode Island found that solar facilities reduced property values for nearby properties by about 1.7 percent, for those within 1 mile of the facility and over 7 percent for homes within 0.1 miles of the solar farm.

I found other studies too, even ones from people who were actively promoting solar projects, that showed similar results. But the point is that the research suggests the negative effect on property values is real and something to be considered. Jefferson County has about 134,000 acres of land, most of which is unpopulated. So there are plenty of suitable locations available.

The third issue I will raise, is how solar facilities threaten the natural wildlife and open spaces that so many of our citizens enjoy and appreciate. Solar facilities are usually completely enclosed by a 6 foot or taller fence, which may include another 1 foot of barbed wire on the top and at least 2 feet of buried fence. As a result, the surrounding wildlife is affected, as is the view from neighboring homes. To me, this will actually be one of the most disappointing effects of large solar facilities.

The fourth and final issue that concerns me, is how these solar facilities will affect electric prices in the county. Has there been any study to determine how this will affect the price of electricity in the county or state? If we don’t know this yet, then perhaps we should slow things down and collect all of the information before making such decisions.

In conclusion, the county and state should take more time to collect the appropriate information, before making long-term decisions that will affect people’s health and finances, as well as forever change local ecology and open spaces. Furthermore, given the information we do have, solar power facilities should never be located next to residential neighborhoods. The costs to the residents are too high — there are plenty of alternative sites available in our county.

Terry Schau, of Shenandoah Junction