John Flowers recently reported on a 5MW solar farm and 2MW battery storage facility proposed by Middlebury College, Encore Renewable Energy and Green Mountain Power to be located on one of Middlebury’s most beloved recreational roads, South Street Extension. This solar farm would sit on a roughly 37-acre portion of a 518-acre parcel, a greenfield, owned by the college. The solar arrays will be visible on three sides. It will include approximately 22,000 solar panels.
This siting has many neighbors and community members heartbroken. This dirt road does not have a lot of car traffic and as a result is one of the safest and most highly trafficked in our community for walkers, runners, horseback riders, tourists, and bikers of all ages. The expansive view of rolling fields, forest, haying fields, and the Green and Taconic mountain ranges make this area one of the most beautiful in our community. In fact, the Middlebury Conservation Commission’s value mapping survey has identified this area as one of the most valued areas in our community for a variety of activities.
We applaud Middlebury College for their renewable energy goals outlined in their Middlebury Energy 2028 effort. But this vast array is industrial in its size and scope. It intrudes upon an undeveloped and presently farmed area and extends the slow creep of development from the center of town.
This solar partnership explained in a letter to affected neighbors, that an effort has been made to explore locations that were “minimally visible from public roads and viewpoints.” In fact, this criteria has not been met by this site. Due to the elevation of South Street Extension to the north, south and west of the proposed array location, the array will be highly visible and significantly impact the views. Two homes are directly adjacent to this proposed solar panel installation.
In addition, cost was mentioned as another criteria for selecting this particular site. Savings must be weighed against benefits. It is less expensive to clear-cut a forest when logging, but the impact on the natural world, wildlife and beauty of the countryside have determined that doing so has environmental costs that far outweigh the financial benefit. We suggest that we are facing a similar choice here. To put the scope of this proposed array in perspective, it would be around five times the size of the array located next to Vergennes Union High School, on Route 7.
In a recent article in “North American Clean Energy Magazine,” Chad Farrell, CEO of Encore, stated that “finding suitable sites for greenfield development that don’t involve environmental, aesthetic, or interconnection constraints, has become increasingly difficult… In Vermont, practically the only way to build a larger net metering project is by utilizing what the legislation refers to as ‘preferred sites’; these are primarily landfills, brownfields, or other previously developed land such as parking lots, rooftops, and abandoned gravel pits.”
We implore the college to consider taking his comments to heart and find an alternative solution to their proposed site. As the good neighbor it tries to be, Middlebury College has expressed a desire to work with our community. We are asking that they do both what is right for the college and the community in this project. Please take the time to find a solution that meets the 2028 goals while not destroying one of the last and best vistas in our community.
To hear more about this project and provide feedback to the selectboard, please attend the selectboard meeting on Nov. 12, 7 p.m. at the town office. If you cannot attend, and would like to weigh in, please contact the selectboard prior to the Nov. 12 meeting. Contact information can be found at the town website.
Debbie Tracht, John Laframboise, Leslie Kameny, Lisa Gates, Mike Roy
and Scott Barkdoll
Middlebury