QUINCY — Around 30 residents from the Ursa area attended a public hearing with the Adams County Board Thursday to share their views on a proposed solar farm project just east of Ursa.
One resident, Tim Hightower, spoke under oath as a registered interested party, presenting into record a 31-page petition with roughly 290 signatures that he, his wife, and other residents gathered from neighbors opposed to the project.
Another resident, Doug Seeber, was also registered as an interested party but was not put under oath by Adams County State’s Attorney Todd Eyler acting as moderator for the meeting.
In attendance were 13 of the county board’s 21 members along with County Engineer Jim Frankenhoff, though several of the board members left before the three-and-a-half hour meeting had ended.
Among the issues raised by residents were concerns over unknown potential health hazards from solar panels as well as disruptions to backyard views residents said have given them enjoyment over the years.
The company presenting the projects, Greenkey Solar, LLC based in Portland, Ore. and conducting business for this project under Ursa Creek Solar, LLC, was on hand to present their case for the project.
Ursa Creek Solar has signed a lease for the 28-acre plot with a private landowner, Spirit Knob Farms, immediately east of the Ursa limits, adjacent to Ill. 61. The project will be a four-megawatt farm with 27 acres of solar panels, or just over 10,000 individual panels.
The company has submitted documentation showing that they have met all the requirements of state legislation controlling both wind and solar facilities across the state. The law, called the Wind and Solar Facility Resident Protection Act, was passed in 2023 and preempts county authorities’ ability to prohibit these projects.
According to state law, as long as a project meets state requirements, county boards must issue the permits to allow the construction. Ordinances can be passed to make projects fit in with local regulations, but those ordinances cannot impose more stringent rules on the projects.
Desiree Noisette, permitting manager with Greenkey, said projects of this type can only be built in coverage areas managed by Ameren Illinois and have an upper-level threshold of around three miles away from a connection to the Ameren grid. These factors limit the available properties that can be used to build these solar farms.
Noisette said the expected construction time with the Ursa Creek project is six to nine months, starting with basic infrastructure like perimeter fencings starting in July with the majority of the work coming after the field has been harvested.
Once in operation, the Ursa Creek Solar farm is expected to generate 9,480,000 kilowatt-hours of power, or enough for between 900 and 1,100 homes.
Erin Bowen, a real estate appraiser with CohnReznick, LLC of Chicago, presented under oath that the firm’s independent studies as well as academic research by institutions such as Loyola University and Berkeley National Labs show that, contrary to anecdotal comments presented by residents, solar farms like the Ursa Creek project have negligible impact, if any, on nearby property values.
Board member Tim Finlay, R-5, asked if Greenkey was going to receive any tax breaks for building this project.
Greenkey project developer Reuben Grandon said the construction is being done without incentives from tax money, though he said there are tax rebates available for certain types of power inverters, and if the project qualifies, the company would plan to file for those rebates.
Russ Hinkamper, R-7, asked what the impact would be on the land itself, since the project application notes that when the site is decommissioned, the land will be returned to the previous agriculture-ready state.
Noisette said the project uses pollinator-friendly ground cover plants that will have no detrimental impact on the soil and could actually improve the soil quality.
The project will be taken up by the county board’s Transportation, Building, and Technology Committee for further action ahead of the May 13 county board meeting.
