By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Spain-based Acciona Energia caught Barton County officials a little off guard in January when company representatives announced intent to build a large-scale solar farm somewhere in the county. Most concerns revolved around the proximity to Cheyenne Bottoms and any impacts solar panels might have on wildlife. Thursday morning, the Barton County Planning Commission heard more from Acciona about the project in an open meeting at the Hoisington Activity Center. Josh Svaty, representing the company, credited the commission for its concern but said solar energy is usually nothing to worry about.
"In the pantheon of power production and types of power production, whether it be coal, natural gas, or wind, solar is, in fact, one of the most benign across the board," he said. "It really doesn't make any noise. There's not a lot of truck traffic in an out. Even to wildlife impacts, it fairly benign."
Since the project was announced in January, the planning commission heard from various wildlife advocates and groups. Even without an exact location pinned down at the time, Audobon of Kansas expressed concern about any development directly south of Cheyenne Bottoms.
READ MORE: Acciona Reveals potential location of proposed solar farm
"The proposed location south of Cheyenne Bottoms represents a major threat to the millions of waterbirds that visit the location, including the federally endangered whooping crane, least tern, and piping plover," said Audobon of Kansas Executive Director Jacqueline Augustine, Ph.D., in a letter. "The shimmer off solar panels can be mistaken for water by waterbirds and aquatic insects. Positioning the facility directly between Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira may further confuse migrating birds who are flying over expecting to see water in this location."
Brian Obermeyer, representing The Nature Conservancy, noted solar development within the corridor between Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge would eliminate potential foraging habitat for migrating birds. Obermeyer's letter also states incomplete data on the impacts of solar development, such as avoidance of habitat and confusing the panels for bodies of water, resulting in collisions, should not be discounted.
Several planning commissioners were dumbfounded that Acciona officials were unaware of a resource like Cheyenne Bottoms prior to announcing plans for the project. Commissioner JC Bosch asked what type of wildlife impact studies have been completed since the first meeting in January.
"When we first came to the county and made a general announcement that we had an interest in doing projects here, shortly after that there was a moratorium put on," said Adam Stratton, Acciona's director of solar development. "For us to have no pathway or conversation happening forward, we need to spend a lot of money doing studies. At that point, we were just like let's see what happens here."
Stratton said impact studies begin with federal and state guidelines and typically include impacts on natural resources, historical landmarks, and waterways among other considerations. When a resident asked about the "lake effect," in which birds may confuse shiny panels with shimmering water, Stratton said the panels are designed to absorb light, not reflect it.
"The majority of airports in the world right now actually have solar panels that are on the roof of the terminal, or somewhere in regards to the facility," he said. "That tells you, kind of from an FAA perspective, that it's approved in the U.S."
At Thursday's meeting, Acciona released more details about the location of the proposed project. After a one-mile buffer on the south edge of Cheyenne Bottoms, a four-mile-long stretch of land is included along Northeast 30 Road between Northeast 20 and 60 Avenues. Stratton said that location was selected due to its proximity to an interconnection point to the power grid located just east of Barton Community College.
The moratorium halting commercial solar development in Barton County is set to expire on Dec. 31. The Barton Board of Commissioners will vote on whether to continue the moratorium or not at its Dec. 12 meeting.