Valley ag is split on solar farms
Posted at 09:16 PM on Saturday, Jun. 04, 2011
By Kurtis Alexander / The Fresno Bee
California's push for clean energy is starting to take shape on Valley farmland, and some in the local agricultural community are pushing back for fear of a land grab.
With nearly two dozen solar energy projects in the pipeline across Fresno County, farming interests recently succeeded in forcing new checks on the burgeoning industry.
The checks are modest, but growers and county policymakers expect the rules to tighten as more proposals emerge and more farmland gives way to power generation.
"If we take ag land and fill it with solar panels, you're never going to replace that land," said Manuel Cunha, president of the Nisei Farmers League, a Fresno advocacy group for agriculture. "I'm not against alternative energy, but when that alternative energy starts to take away from the farming industry, then I have questions."
Solar developers and some in what is proving to be a divided agricultural community believe the two enterprises can co-exist.
With nearly two dozen solar energy projects in the pipeline across Fresno County, farming interests recently succeeded in forcing new checks on the burgeoning industry.
The checks are modest, but growers and county policymakers expect the rules to tighten as more proposals emerge and more farmland gives way to power generation.
"If we take ag land and fill it with solar panels, you're never going to replace that land," said Manuel Cunha, president of the Nisei Farmers League, a Fresno advocacy group for agriculture. "I'm not against alternative energy, but when that alternative energy starts to take away from the farming industry, then I have questions."
Solar developers and some in what is proving to be a divided agricultural community believe the two enterprises can co-exist.
Patrick Enrico, whose family has farmed near Firebaugh for more than 50 years, is among many who believe committing less-productive agricultural land, particularly on the county's drier west side, to the production of electricity makes good sense.
"It's actually a better use of the land than having to put water on it and creating drainage problems," Enrico said. He plans to lease 158 acres that once grew tomatoes and cotton to a solar developer. "It's almost like the perfect situation."
Many farmers have remained open to seeing more marginal lands used for generating power. Support, though, has slipped as the number of solar proposals has grown and developers have set their sights on more fertile areas.
Most of the installations are slated for "prime" farmland, considered of highest value to growers, and almost all require cancellation of Williamson Act contracts. Those are deals that leverage state money to keep agricultural land from being developed.
Farming advocates say that while some prime farmland, like Enrico's, may be better suited to solar panels today when water shortages are common and farmed food is plentiful, times will change and retired farmland may be needed again.
"Prime ag land is not something we want to see go away," Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner Carol Hafner said. "We want to maintain the agricultural production that's going to provide the food and fiber for this region."
Most of the leases to solar companies are planned for 20 to 30 years with optional extensions.
To date, only a handful of the projects have won approval in Fresno County. But 20 commercial proposals totaling more than 7,000 acres of agriculturally zoned land await county review, and more are expected.
Given that the same fundamentals that farmers want -- space and sun -- are what solar developers want, the stage is set for conflict.
"This is sort of a new area," said John White, executive director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, a Sacramento-based partnership of environmental and energy groups.
"The industry is not as prepared for the issues as we should be. ... You're going to have land-use conflicts in areas where communities aren't sure this [technology] is appropriate."
The disputes, said White, could slow the development of renewable power, but he believes the problems will work themselves out with time.
The surge in solar energy proposals in Fresno County and across the San Joaquin Valley, say industry observers, comes as federal money pours in for renewable projects and state law requires utilities to get more power from green sources.
"It's actually a better use of the land than having to put water on it and creating drainage problems," Enrico said. He plans to lease 158 acres that once grew tomatoes and cotton to a solar developer. "It's almost like the perfect situation."
Many farmers have remained open to seeing more marginal lands used for generating power. Support, though, has slipped as the number of solar proposals has grown and developers have set their sights on more fertile areas.
Most of the installations are slated for "prime" farmland, considered of highest value to growers, and almost all require cancellation of Williamson Act contracts. Those are deals that leverage state money to keep agricultural land from being developed.
Farming advocates say that while some prime farmland, like Enrico's, may be better suited to solar panels today when water shortages are common and farmed food is plentiful, times will change and retired farmland may be needed again.
"Prime ag land is not something we want to see go away," Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner Carol Hafner said. "We want to maintain the agricultural production that's going to provide the food and fiber for this region."
Most of the leases to solar companies are planned for 20 to 30 years with optional extensions.
To date, only a handful of the projects have won approval in Fresno County. But 20 commercial proposals totaling more than 7,000 acres of agriculturally zoned land await county review, and more are expected.
Given that the same fundamentals that farmers want -- space and sun -- are what solar developers want, the stage is set for conflict.
"This is sort of a new area," said John White, executive director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, a Sacramento-based partnership of environmental and energy groups.
"The industry is not as prepared for the issues as we should be. ... You're going to have land-use conflicts in areas where communities aren't sure this [technology] is appropriate."
The disputes, said White, could slow the development of renewable power, but he believes the problems will work themselves out with time.
Fresno County sets rules
The surge in solar energy proposals in Fresno County and across the San Joaquin Valley, say industry observers, comes as federal money pours in for renewable projects and state law requires utilities to get more power from green sources.
While California's high desert has long been a choice spot for solar, competition for desert real estate and conflicts over fragile wildlife -- like the protected desert tortoise -- have shifted interest toward the Valley, observers say.
Last year, that interest prompted Fresno County planners, overwhelmed with applications for solar, to halt new approvals. They wanted first to figure out a sensible way to proceed.
The Board of Supervisors last month ended the impasse. Responding to concerns from the farming community, supervisors initiated an extensive application process for developers who want to use farmland for power generation -- and need to get out of Williamson Act contracts to move forward.
Under the board's new provisions, solar developers must provide the agricultural history of the land they are pursuing and explain why they didn't select a non-agricultural site. The solar companies also must present a plan for removing their panels should power generation cease.
The board reserves final say on whether the projects proceed.
Several solar companies declined to comment on the new rules, but industry groups said the requirements don't appear burdensome.
Supervisor Phil Larson, who represents western Fresno County, expects the requirements to increase as county policymakers get more experience with the industry.
"There are a lot of issues that aren't in these [provisions] that need to be dealt with," Larson said. "There needs to be more control."
Supervisor Susan Anderson has talked about limiting solar projects to certain parts of the county. Some in the farming community have suggested quotas.
In addition to losing farmland, growers worry that new solar installations won't make good neighbors. They say the operations may take issue with agricultural dust and pesticide drift. And they fear that the new equipment could harbor bugs and weeds.
There are economic concerns, too.
The farmland converted to energy production may initially produce more property taxes for local governments as the tax breaks from Williamson Act contracts are lifted. However, unlike construction of a building, which would add to a property's taxable value, solar panels are exempt from property taxes.
Lorelei Oviatt, director of planning in Kern County, where several solar projects are up and running, said counties may be asked to subsidize renewable energy. "That may be a legitimate request from the state, but we have to make sure we're locating the projects in the smartest places."
The solar industry also presents different job opportunities than agriculture, Oviatt noted. Often, she said, solar plants don't stimulate employment like farming does. When agricultural products are shipped, packaged and sold, each step creates jobs.
"We're still looking for the right balance of solar here in Kern County," she said, "and I'm sure Fresno County will struggle with this, too."
Advocates for solar power say Fresno County has plenty of room to support both energy projects and farming -- and both make sense here.
"When you turn your pump on or your cold-storage compressors on, you want electricity to be there," said Greg Kirkpatrick, who is spearheading two solar proposals south of Dos Palos in Fresno County.
"Agriculture is an enormous user of electricity in the San Joaquin Valley, and we need to make sure it's available."
Responding to public support for clean energy, Gov. Jerry Brown in April signed legislation requiring one-third of California's power to come from renewable sources, such as solar, by 2020. Already, the major utilities face a 2013 deadline for delivering 20% of their power from green sources.
PG&E officials say solar energy now constitutes only a small portion -- less than one-tenth of one percent -- of its California energy portfolio, although that fraction is growing.
"There are a lot of these contracts out there but they're just not all producing yet," said PG&E spokesman Denny Boyles.
Boyles said tapping unused farmland to generate solar power in the San Joaquin Valley remains vital to the company's long-term energy plans.
The first of the backlogged solar proposals in Fresno County, which would generate 50 megawatts of electricity for PG&E, is scheduled to go before the Board of Supervisors this summer. (One megawatt typically meets the needs of 500 to 1,000 homes.) The project is on a 318-acre site six miles south of the city of San Joaquin.
Last month, an advisory panel to the Board of Supervisors recommended that the Williamson Act contract on part of the proposed site be canceled and the project be allowed to proceed.
The applicant, European-based Gestamp Solar, which has more than a half-dozen local projects in the hopper, declined to comment.
Industry insiders, though, say solar companies will go out of their way to respect agriculture.
"Give these guys a chance to show that they can be good neighbors," said Mignon Marks, acting executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association.
Last year, that interest prompted Fresno County planners, overwhelmed with applications for solar, to halt new approvals. They wanted first to figure out a sensible way to proceed.
The Board of Supervisors last month ended the impasse. Responding to concerns from the farming community, supervisors initiated an extensive application process for developers who want to use farmland for power generation -- and need to get out of Williamson Act contracts to move forward.
Under the board's new provisions, solar developers must provide the agricultural history of the land they are pursuing and explain why they didn't select a non-agricultural site. The solar companies also must present a plan for removing their panels should power generation cease.
The board reserves final say on whether the projects proceed.
Several solar companies declined to comment on the new rules, but industry groups said the requirements don't appear burdensome.
Supervisor Phil Larson, who represents western Fresno County, expects the requirements to increase as county policymakers get more experience with the industry.
"There are a lot of issues that aren't in these [provisions] that need to be dealt with," Larson said. "There needs to be more control."
Supervisor Susan Anderson has talked about limiting solar projects to certain parts of the county. Some in the farming community have suggested quotas.
In addition to losing farmland, growers worry that new solar installations won't make good neighbors. They say the operations may take issue with agricultural dust and pesticide drift. And they fear that the new equipment could harbor bugs and weeds.
There are economic concerns, too.
The farmland converted to energy production may initially produce more property taxes for local governments as the tax breaks from Williamson Act contracts are lifted. However, unlike construction of a building, which would add to a property's taxable value, solar panels are exempt from property taxes.
Lorelei Oviatt, director of planning in Kern County, where several solar projects are up and running, said counties may be asked to subsidize renewable energy. "That may be a legitimate request from the state, but we have to make sure we're locating the projects in the smartest places."
The solar industry also presents different job opportunities than agriculture, Oviatt noted. Often, she said, solar plants don't stimulate employment like farming does. When agricultural products are shipped, packaged and sold, each step creates jobs.
"We're still looking for the right balance of solar here in Kern County," she said, "and I'm sure Fresno County will struggle with this, too."
Can they live together?
Advocates for solar power say Fresno County has plenty of room to support both energy projects and farming -- and both make sense here.
"When you turn your pump on or your cold-storage compressors on, you want electricity to be there," said Greg Kirkpatrick, who is spearheading two solar proposals south of Dos Palos in Fresno County.
"Agriculture is an enormous user of electricity in the San Joaquin Valley, and we need to make sure it's available."
Responding to public support for clean energy, Gov. Jerry Brown in April signed legislation requiring one-third of California's power to come from renewable sources, such as solar, by 2020. Already, the major utilities face a 2013 deadline for delivering 20% of their power from green sources.
PG&E officials say solar energy now constitutes only a small portion -- less than one-tenth of one percent -- of its California energy portfolio, although that fraction is growing.
"There are a lot of these contracts out there but they're just not all producing yet," said PG&E spokesman Denny Boyles.
Boyles said tapping unused farmland to generate solar power in the San Joaquin Valley remains vital to the company's long-term energy plans.
The first of the backlogged solar proposals in Fresno County, which would generate 50 megawatts of electricity for PG&E, is scheduled to go before the Board of Supervisors this summer. (One megawatt typically meets the needs of 500 to 1,000 homes.) The project is on a 318-acre site six miles south of the city of San Joaquin.
Last month, an advisory panel to the Board of Supervisors recommended that the Williamson Act contract on part of the proposed site be canceled and the project be allowed to proceed.
The applicant, European-based Gestamp Solar, which has more than a half-dozen local projects in the hopper, declined to comment.
Industry insiders, though, say solar companies will go out of their way to respect agriculture.
"Give these guys a chance to show that they can be good neighbors," said Mignon Marks, acting executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association.
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