A utility-scale solar project southeast of Yellow Springs is moving forward, and so is a grassroots effort to stop it.
Vesper Energy is planning to build a 175-megawatt solar photovoltaic array on close to 1,300 acres of farmland spanning Miami, Cedarville and Xenia townships. The Houston, Texas, company hopes to apply for a state permit for its Kingwood solar project in the spring and start producing green electricity in a few years.
But a group of neighbors opposes the project for aesthetic, environmental and economic reasons. Members of the group Citizens for Greene Acres say they want to preserve the rural nature of the area and worry about negative impacts to wildlife, water resources and farmer incomes if it’s built.