Eden County F Solar Project Update

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, the Town of Eden Board and Plan Commission met for their second meeting of the Eden County F Solar Project.

This was not a decision making meeting. Instead, this was a deliberation, a meeting where the combined boards looked at the facts presented to them during the public hearing a month prior. The Plan Commission and Town Board must make their decision on substantial evidence, or “facts and information, other than merely personal preferences or speculation, directly pertaining to the requirements and conditions an applicant must meet to obtain a conditional use permit and that reasonable persons would accept in support of a conclusion,” as is written on the packet provided by the Town’s lawyer.

These are facts that were presented to the Eden Town Board and Plan Commission during the public hearing that was held on August 20.

Substantial Evidence

The project would be built and developed by OneEnergy Renewables on parcels T06-14-18-23-14-001-00 and T06-14-18-23-15-001-00: southeast of Eden, north of County F and Happy Rd. and east of Eagle Rd. This is land that was previously used for agriculture and was originally going to have a gravel pit on site. The project would take up about 30 acres of the 80 acre property off of Hwy F and would have an eight-ft deer fence around the perimeter, as well as gates for employee entrance and to assist in animal removal if necessary. The project would consist of a 30-year lease with the option for two 10-year extensions near the end.

Before starting the project, OneEnergy Renewables would need to get DNR construction stormwater general permit, erosion-control BMPs and a DNR-approved stormwater plan. Members from OneEnergy present at the meeting stated that they are in the process of doing these steps.

Planned construction for the project would begin in spring of 2027 and would take four to six months to fully complete. Construction consists of adding driven steel I-beams 10 ft. deep and five ft. above ground, the installation of panels about eight feet tall at a 50 degree tilt, additional equipment up to eight feet, a 16 ft. at-grade access drive and an eight ft. fixed-knot fence with a locked gate. They would also include 50 ft. setbacks from all parcel lines.

During construction, there would be approximately five to thirty workers on-site during working hours as well as three or four delivery trucks per day. Typical work hours would be Monday through Friday, 7 a.m-7 p.m., although this can be adjusted based on the agreement made with the town. The project will be done in several phases: access road, grading, erosion control, fence, piles, racking, panels, wiring and seeding. Sound is minimal with the loudest part being driving the piles, which can take approximately two to three weeks and the hours can be limited.

After construction is completed, the project should have a life span of 30-50 years. The site will be monitored remotely for issues, damage or any animals trapped in the enclosure. There would also be annual maintenance and monthly in-person inspections (approximately one or two visits per month). There will be no outside storage, no lighting, no loudspeakers, no trash and safety and entrance signs only allowed.

Panels are made of non-toxic materials and no chemicals will be used. If any issues occur, or the project no longer works, OneEnergy Renewable – or whoever owns the project if bought out (most likely by We Energies) – is responsible for replacements of similar if not the same materials and/or is required to demolish the entire project and bring the land back to near preconstruction condition within one year at no cost to the Town or Village of Eden. They must also provide the town with financial assurance before operations begin, whether it be by a letter of credit, bond or other acceptable means that will be decided if the project is approved. OneEnergy also has commercial insurance that covers and potential damage the panels may cause other properties in case of a fire (studies show very low risk), tornado or other instances. If the property is bought out by another company, that company must also have the insurance.

Overall, this project would provide a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative for energy. Compared to rooftop solar panels, these panels would be 40% more efficient and cost about 55% less according to general industry descriptions. There is no glare predicted, no leaching to air or water, no heat zone and no stray voltage. The six MW project is suspected to produce 12.5 million kWh per year. The land will also consist of pollinator or grazing mix, the land outside the fence will be farmed right up to the fence line and the topsoil removed stays on site to be put back when deconstruction happens. The Wisconsin DNR also found that there are no critical habitats or species that will be affected by this project.

What’s Next

Now that the board have been presented the facts once again in a way that is easier to see and understand based on the ordinances, now they must take the time between now and the next meeting to fill out the worksheets provided to them by their lawyer to decide whether or not this project meets all the standards and conditions needed to approve the project. If all standards are met, then they can approve the project. If standards are not met, they have to see if there is a way for those standards to be met, whether it’s by adding stipulations into the agreement between the Town and OneEnergy, or something else. If the standards cannot be met by adding stipulations, then the project cannot be approved.

This is something that the Town Board and Plan Commission members do on their own outside of the meeting. They must solely look at the facts and cannot use opinions from either themselves or others. They will then go over the standards at the next meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. The public are invited to attend, but there will be no public comment and will solely be the two boards talking and making their decision.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The Town of Eden Board and Plan Commission met to look over and discuss substantial evidence to help them decide whether or not to approve the County F Solar Project. No decision was made at this meeting.

30 acres of 80 acre property; six MW; north of County F and Happy Rd.; should last 30-50 years–lease with town would be 30 years with two 10 year renewal options; eight-foot deer fence; construction would start spring 2027 and last four to six months.

The board has not made a decision yet. The next meeting–open to the public but will only be discussion amongst the Plan Commission and Town Board–will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m.