Resisting Solar Farms in Christmas Valley
Solar power — By Stephanie on March 25, 2010 at 6:53 am
Should solar farms be sited in Christmas Valley Oregon?
Renewable energy is coming to Central Oregon in a big way. And some residents are resisting the change. With a number of solar farms slated for Christmas Valley, people in the community about 2 hours southeast of Bend, Oregon are joining forces to oppose the new development.
Solar companies have been eying this area of the High Desert in Central Oregon for its sunny skies and vast areas of undeveloped land.
All together, there are four new solar array proposals that have been approved, one of which is under construction. The commercial solar panel farms range in size from 40 to 150 acres. An additional two proposals will be considered by County officials next month, 71 and 80 acres, respectively. To top it off, the state of Oregon may lease 640 acres of land to a solar company in the area.
The upside to the solar development? Jobs, clean energy, and tax revenue.
Natural beauty of Christmas Valley, Oregon
But those who are resisting the solar farms say that the panels are inconsistent with a Western lifestyle. They simply cannot imagine replacing sagebrush with solar panels. To fight the development, a group called Concerned Citizens of North Lake County has formed.
Like any other land use development, the solar farms must obtain permit approval before development. Considerations of size, appearance, impacts on wildlife and compatibility with surrounding development are taken into account. The reviewing body may deny the project, or impose conditions of approval to require certain measures be implemented (such as a bond, installing screening, etc.) The residents surely will participate in the permitting process, writing letters, testifying and making sure that their voices are heard. Yet, the County cannot deny a permit if all requirements are met.
All the benefits of renewable energy aside, I have to agree with the observations of some of the impacted residents. Considering that there were no phone lines or paved roads in Christmas Valley just 25 years ago, the sudden and drastic impact of a hundreds of acres being developed by solar farms simply cannot be mitigated.
At least in this case where private property rights meet renewable energy demands meet the desires of a small community to retain is character, its not an easy balance to find.
We’d love to read your thoughts – please share your opinion about the solar farm situation in Christmas Valley. What if it was your neighborhood?
Tags: commercial solar panel farms, solar array construction, solar development, solar farms central oregon, solar farms christmas valley
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12 Comments
OK, for one thing that ain’t a picture of Xmas Valley, second picture down in your article. Two, those solar farms ain’t the first development here in Xmas Valley, us hay farmers were here first. We have over 360, 125 acre pivots in this valley and we’re not about to give them up to no tree huggin, owl lovi’n, peace freak! So what if our farming practices are not that clean, we were here first! So shove it Earth First!
i have a question about a solar farms. is it a good investment to build a solar farm and sell back electricty to ultility co. like pacific power?
Hi James – that is a good question. Before you build a solar farm, you should check zoning and approval procedures with the county. You should also check with the utilities to see if they have transmission line capacity to take your generated solar electricity. Good luck!
The idea of solar farms has flaws. Mostly supported by tax dollars through grants and incentives. This billion dollars would do more good if left in the private sector, not taxed away and spent per government command. Is this green power necessary? It costs 3 times as much as hydro. Global warming started in Christmas Valley when the edge of the glaciers that were actually there began to recede. Long before the combustion engine. Lastly I drove through a snow blizzard last night, April 20th, sorry we are not in a global warming crisis.
It usually doesn’t pencil to sell the power back to the host utility. However, under the new feed-in tariff rules that will be coming online in Oregon later this year, it may very well be profitable.
John – you should really stop posting the same idiotic piece of jibberish on solar website you can find.
1) Coal and oil companies receive ten times the subsidy that renewable energy does.
2) Taxpayers get back about 4 dollars for every tax dollar invested in renewable energy in Oregon – see the EcoNorthwest study on the Oregon Department of Energy website.
3) Climate change is supported my nearly every reputable scientific organization in the world. Most studies that conclude that climate change isn’t real are backed by coal or oil corporations. If you don’t think mankind contibutes to climate change you either live in a cave or you are hopelesly ignorant.
4) Most of the climatic change in North Lake county can be tied back to Mt. Mazama’s eruption, but people have prodded it along nicely.
5) EVERY energy production activity has drawbacks – even hydro. Ask the folks in Klamath county about that.
6) Solar is only about 20-30% more expensive than hydro (and is about the same as gas). When it becomes equal with hydro and coal, then the subsidy will dry up because the purpose of the subsidy is to get it going until it takes hold.
7) Not sure where you got your info, but windfarms are doing quite well (financially and mechanically) in Oregon and the US. In fact, I bet you can’t point me to a single abandoned or broken down windfarm in Oregon.
AMEN!!
I think that most of the people in favor of cluttering up the valley with ugly solar farms are interested mainly in powering their (distant) cities. To them, it all sounds great because Christmas Valley is nothing more than an abstraction, someplace they’ve never visited, and they’ve been brainwashed into thinking that ‘green power’ is always good.
1) Most of the people in Christmas Valley want solar farms – jobs, customers, tax revenue, green power that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels … what’s not to like?
2) As far as solar farms “cluttering up the valley” and being “ugly,” it is really a matter of opinion. With that said, I think most most people would rather look at a neat, tidy solar farm than look at junky trailers, broken down cars, meth trailers and delapidated buildings which is what the valley is cluttered with today. If anything the solar farms will make the view BETTER.
3) You make it sound like there will be solar panels as far as the eye can see in the valley. This notion is just outright B.S. In fact, I think most people would have a hard time finding them with a map.
I personally would like to see them. How to I find them in Christmas Valley?
Tim – The solar farms have not been started yet. The sites are out by the old backscatter radar site – 10 miles or so east of Xmas Valley and 10 or so miles south of the dunes and lost forest. There are also some proposed sites by the North Lake high school kind of by Fort Rock. The only site that is remotely close to the “town” is about 4 miles northeast of town on state property.
People Wake up. The time for Renewable Energy is today. I own 120 acres North of Millican, and I may be 51 years old but I am in school getting a bachelors degree in renewable energy engineering. Solar and wind farm are the future. The time is her and now to start using our head to decrease our dependence on Big Oil. Its time to start making Hydrogen from the solar power, and producing the most abundant fuel in the universe. We could heat our homes, run our cars, tractors on this super fuel. The First fuel cell Vehicle was a tractor built by Allis Chalmers back in the 60′s, See this link: http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/blog2/index.php/fuel-cells/allis-chalmers-farm-tractor-was-first-fuel-cell-vehicle/
But we are going to argue about who was here first. Please I am a lifer from Bend and lived here all my life.
There is plenty of land. Lets make the farm run on fuel we make ourselves.
The technology is coming, its here lets embrace it and each others like Brothers & Sisters.
If you want to call me a tree hugger you better say it to my Face. I have been racing and abusing earth for enough years. Lets take care of our Mother Earth.
I grew up on a farm growing Alfalfa. I want to have a Wind/solar/hydrogen Farm.
As a person moving to Christmas Valley and looking for some light on members of the community I am a bit surprised at some of the responses here. Just because you live rurally doesn’t mean you have to be COMPLETELY ignorant about the world around you. And to offer information about “not that clean” farming practices it disturbing. Every situation requires education and understanding. Solar power is to everyone’s benefit. I sincerely hope to meet Joe Merrill and Seenglewide upon my arrival!