Plans to erect solar panels west of Tilton will not be affected by last week’s U. S. Department of Agriculture announcement discontinuing funding for solar and wind projects. “The USDA’s announcement will not affect our project,” said Ellie Ginis, Project Developer for Earthrise Energy. Her company wants to erect solar panels over 1400 acres of farmland along the Catlin-Tilton Road.
“We have no plans to use federal grants for the Tilton Solar Project’, said Ginis responding to questions from Central Illinois Media Group’s News Department in Danville. “Earthrise Energy has never applied for or received federal grants to fund our Rise Grant program – those grants come directly from our company’s own profits,” added Ginis.
(Corn currently growing on the site of the proposed solar farm.)
Many citizens have voiced opposition to plans for the proposed 188 megawatt solar project. Some have said Earthrise Energy should find another location instead of placing solar panels over prime farmland. Opponents have also claimed the solar project could negatively impact property values, contaminate well water and adversely affect wildlife. And although Earthrise claims the project would generate $30-million dollars for the local economy because of payments made to landowners who lease space for the solar panels, citizens opposing the project have noted those payments would be stretched over 30 years.
(Signs located along the Catlin-Tilton Road – directly across the street from where Earthrise Energy wants to place solar panels.)
Earthrise Energy is proposing placing the solar panels on 1400 acres of land stretching from just west of Tilton to east of Catlin.
Most of them would be placed along the north side of the Catlin-Tilton Road.
Last week Catlin Mayor Justin Bargo said Earthrise has not officially filed anything yet with the village.
“We haven’t submitted our application yet,” Project Developer Ginis told CIMG News, “but we plan to do so this fall. We’ve been focused on completing the due diligence that needs to go into a strong application, and continuing to invite community input.” Ginis said that includes stakeholder meetings, one-on-one conversations with neighbors and small group meetings. Our goal is to bring forward a proposal that reflects both the technical requirements and the feedback we’ve heard from the community,” added Ginis.
Ginis says the company’s next step is to submit permit applications to the relevant zoning authorities, which they anticipate doing this fall. “We cannot begin construction on the project until we receive all necessary local, state, and federal permits for the project.”
(** Photo at top of this story shows soybeans now growing in the area of the proposed solar farm along the Catlin-Tilton Road.)
