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DoomsdaysCW<p>In a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Cleveland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Cleveland</span></a> suburb, this old <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CoalPlant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CoalPlant</span></a> will soon be replaced by a massive <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarFarm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarFarm</span></a> </p><p>Inside Climate News<br>July 26, 2024</p><p>"<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CoalFired" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CoalFired</span></a> power plant that started running more than a century ago is about to get a long-overdue retirement, and its electricity will be replaced by a solar farm and a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BatteryStorage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BatteryStorage</span></a> system on an existing <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/brownfield" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>brownfield</span></a>.</p><p>"The project in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PainesvilleOhio" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PainesvilleOhio</span></a>, a suburb of Cleveland, is one of about two dozen clean energy and emissions-reduction initiatives across the country that are sharing $4.3 billion in funding announced on Monday by the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BidenAdministration" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BidenAdministration</span></a>.</p><p>"It was a happy day for Doug Lewis, Painesville’s city manager. He and his colleagues have been considering how to close the city-owned power plant and replace it with a cleaner alternative. They also have wanted to redevelop the site of a long-shuttered <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/chemical" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>chemical</span></a> factory near the shores of Lake Erie.</p><p>"The federal government will now pay about $80 million to install solar and batteries on the former factory land and to beautify the rest of the brownfield by planting a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/meadow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>meadow</span></a> of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/wildflowers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>wildflowers</span></a> and constructing a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BikeTrail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BikeTrail</span></a>. The trail will provide a connection between Painesville and a regional trail that runs along the lake.</p><p>[...]</p><p>"The solar farm will have capacity of 35 megawatts and the battery storage system will have capacity of 10 megawatts. It will be capable of running for three hours at that level before recharging.</p><p>"The new construction will be on land that once was home to the Diamond Shamrock Corp. chemical plant, which operated there from 1912 to 1977 and occupied about 1,100 acres. The plant’s products included baking soda, chromium compounds, and hydrochloric and sulfuric acids.</p><p>"Since the site closed, the community and the federal government have gone through the slow and trying process of removing <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/pollutants" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pollutants</span></a> to make it site safe for redevelopment.</p><p>The current project can serve as a case study for many things, including regional cooperation. Painesville, in Lake County, worked with officials in neighboring Cuyahoga County and the Cleveland city government to file an application with the federal government that included <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewableEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RenewableEnergy</span></a> projects for all of them."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/in-a-cleveland-suburb-this-old-coal-plant-will-soon-be-replaced-by-a-massive-solar-farm/ar-BB1qJ9eK" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">msn.com/en-us/money/markets/in</span><span class="invisible">-a-cleveland-suburb-this-old-coal-plant-will-soon-be-replaced-by-a-massive-solar-farm/ar-BB1qJ9eK</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarFarms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarFarms</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewablesNow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RenewablesNow</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewableEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RenewableEnergy</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LocalEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LocalEnergy</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoNewNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NoNewNukes</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NoNukes</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Ohio" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Ohio</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Bicycles" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Bicycles</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BikePaths" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BikePaths</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GreenSpace" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GreenSpace</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Reclamation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Reclamation</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarSundays" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarSundays</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Scientists test <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/agriculture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>agriculture</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarEnergy</span></a> on <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Illinois" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Illinois</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/farms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>farms</span></a> </p><p>Two experiments in the state are measuring which crops could grow well under these panels.</p><p>By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco<br>Jul 18, 2024, 2:58pm EDT</p><p>"Thousands of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/wildflowers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>wildflowers</span></a> are blooming under rows of solar panels in eastern Illinois. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Milkweeds" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Milkweeds</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BlackEyedSusans" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BlackEyedSusans</span></a> and native <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PrairieGrasses" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PrairieGrasses</span></a> catch the sunlight that streams past solar panels on one end of this 54-acre property near Champaign.</p><p>"'Obviously, this setting is not perfect for the farming system,' D.K. Lee, a professor of crop sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said about the narrow space between solar panel arrays.</p><p>"But this experimental station called <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarFarm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarFarm</span></a> 2.0 could help UIUC scientists determine whether the marriage between Midwestern agriculture and solar power will be a happy one. Researchers are piloting how crops such as grains and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/soybeans" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>soybeans</span></a> used primarily to feed livestock grow with solar panels obstructing their full view of the sun. The counterintuitive practice is called <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/agrivoltaics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>agrivoltaics</span></a>, a nascent industry that partners solar developers looking for large plots of land and farmers looking to make additional income.</p><p>"That’s why two parallel experiments are underway here to find out what can grow and thrive under solar panels. To hit the ambitious clean energy targets set by state and federal officials, solar power will have to increase close to seven times over current capacity by 2035. That will mean millions of acres devoted to solar power — many of which could be in America’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/farmlands" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>farmlands</span></a>. But to make sure that agricultural communities aren’t left behind by the clean energy transition, scientists want to know what it will take for life to persist beneath solar panels — potentially a first step for farmers and solar power to co-exist.</p><p>"'We can only farm about 70% of the land here,' said Bruce E. Branham, professor of horticulture at UIUC. 'So we’ve got 30% of the land that would be farmed in full sun that is just vacant.'</p><p>"But in just two years and despite physical constraints, initial findings suggest that the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/sorghum" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>sorghum</span></a> grain could be a promising crop to grow alongside solar panels. Branham said that so far it appears that combining sorghum with solar panels has resulted in a 59% increase in efficiency. And wildlife, including <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/birds" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>birds</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/bees" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>bees</span></a>, are flocking to the improved habitat. It’s a good start, but there’s still ways to go before solar farms like these are generating serious energy.</p><p>"'This is a 54-acre site, and we’re getting 12 megawatts,' Banham said. 'A lot of power plants are much, much greater than that.'</p><p>"In all, Solar Farm 2.0 produces close to 1% of the generating power of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClintonPowerStation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ClintonPowerStation</span></a>, a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NuclearPowerPlant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NuclearPowerPlant</span></a> just a 45 minute drive east. But for Banham and others, this presents an opportunity to combine Midwestern row crops with solar power to generate enough energy to compete with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FossilFuels" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FossilFuels</span></a> and other clean energy alternatives."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.wbez.org/environment/2024/07/18/scientists-test-agriculture-and-solar-energy-on-illinois-farms" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">wbez.org/environment/2024/07/1</span><span class="invisible">8/scientists-test-agriculture-and-solar-energy-on-illinois-farms</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarFarms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarFarms</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewablesNow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RenewablesNow</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewableEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RenewableEnergy</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LocalEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LocalEnergy</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoNewNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NoNewNukes</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NoNukes</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarFarm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarFarm</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SaveTheFarms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SaveTheFarms</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IllinoisFarms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IllinoisFarms</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MidwestFarms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MidwestFarms</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarSundays" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarSundays</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Another <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarFarm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarFarm</span></a> project is underway for the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Groveville" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Groveville</span></a> section of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BuxtonMaine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BuxtonMaine</span></a> -- near an existing power distribution line. That could power nearby towns!</p><p>There were concerns about the nearby waterways, but those were addressed, and there will be a forest buffer for wildlife to cross.</p><p>Little River Solar Project<br>Submitted on August 24, 2020</p><p>Summary</p><p>"BWC Little River, LLC is proposing to construct and operate the Little River Solar Project, an approximately 5.81-megawatt DC solar array project located on Groveville Road. The project will be located on portions of five parcels (Map 7, lots 1, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E) consisting of 19.04 acres of open fields and woodlands. The project will connect to an existing Central Maine Power distribution line on Groveville Road and will provide community distributed electric generation. The property is in the Village, Residential and Rural Districts."</p><p><a href="https://www.buxton.me.us/planning-board/agenda-items/little-river-solar-project-0" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">buxton.me.us/planning-board/ag</span><span class="invisible">enda-items/little-river-solar-project-0</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Maine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Maine</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarFarms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarFarms</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewablesNow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RenewablesNow</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewableEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RenewableEnergy</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LocalEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LocalEnergy</span></a></p>