The 90 minute Zoom meeting is scheduled to start that evening at 6:00 p.m..
Backers claim the $150 million Coldwater Solar project will result in up to 150 megawatts of clean energy which they say would be enough to power about 27,000 homes.
They also say Coldwater Solar would generate up to $21 million in new tax revenue for the two townships as well as for county services and local school districts. In addition, it’s being claimed the project would create hundreds of new clean energy jobs during construction and several permanent positions for facility operations.
Some Ovid Township residents are opposed to the large solar project. Among their concerns are potential impacts on agricultural land and property values.
Utility scale solar installations make no sense in Western New York.
The energy industry standard of energy efficiency is called “Energy Returned on Energy Invested “ (ERoEI). Consider the energy expended to manufacture, transport, install and decommission utility scale solar compared to the amount of electricity New York solar can produce. As Documented by Forbes Magazine, industrial solar at this latitude falls below the “economically viable threshold”. Industrial solar is rated at four compared to nuclear at 75 on a Forbes ERoEI graph showing energy produced related to energy invested. Why would policy makers encourage a project that uses more energy to build than it can produce in its lifetime?
Advertisement
Consumers Energy, Pine Gate Renewables and Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P., have announced that five new solar energy projects in Genesee County, Michigan, US, and three in Saginaw County, also located in Michigan, are now online and providing clean, renewable electricity for Consumers Energy customers.
The eight sites were built and are operated by Pine Gate Renewables and are owned by Kayne Anderson. Consumers Energy has 20-year agreements to purchase the energy from the projects. Each solar farm has a 2 MW capacity.
Combined, the solar farms produce up to 16 MW, adding to Consumers Energy’s 10 MW of solar energy capacity previously available to serve its customers.
Coldwater, MI, USA / WTVB | 1590 AM · 95.5 FM | The Voice of Branch County
Jan 13, 2021 10:34 AM
COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Coldwater Solar has announced a new Community Grant Program to support local organizations and projects serving Coldwater and Ovid Townships as well as the broader Branch County community.
Coldwater Solar is planning a $150 million solar project that would cover over 1,500 acres in Coldwater and Ovid Townships.
Some Ovid Township residents are opposed to the large solar project. Among their concerns are potential impacts on agricultural land and property values.
Coldwater Solar said in a statement they will be a long-term fixture in the community and one of the projectâs primary goals is to be a strong community partner and support residents and organizations that are working to make positive differences in the Greater Coldwater area.
8 new solar energy projects in Genesee and Saginaw counties are now online
Updated Jan 12, 2021;
Facebook Share
MT. MORRIS TWP., MI – More solar energy is running through mid-Michigan’s landscape as eight solar projects, producing up to 16 megawatts, recently went online.
Consumers Energy, Pine Gate Renewables and Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors announced on Jan. 8 that five new solar energy projects in Genesee County and three in Saginaw County are now online and providing clean, renewable electricity for Consumers Energy customers.
“These solar plants coming online are a testament to our commitment to solar energy in Michigan as a major component of the Clean Energy Plan, our blueprint for a coal-free and carbon-neutral future,” said Tim Sparks, vice president of electric grid integration at Consumers Energy.