“You don’t have a problem … until you have a problem.
By then, it’s often too late to get a handle on it.
So Duanesburg officials should be commended for wanting to get out in front of a potential problem with the proliferation of solar arrays — those giant fields of blue solar panels that have become more common in the region in recent years.
While solar power is essentially a benign, non-polluting form of energy generation by itself, these solar arrays have raised concerns about aesthetics and impact on sight lines, impact on property values, pollution from removal of vegetation, buffer zones and fencing, and the usual issues related to industrial building projects such as setbacks, site maintenance and removal of equipment at the end of its useful life.
Communities should want to encourage solar energy, but it doesn’t mean they should give carte blanche to any project, given the potential impacts on the community and neighboring property owners.
The town is considering a six-month moratorium on new projects until it can get regulations in place.
Many times, communities inappropriately use moratoriums as a tool to stop unwanted projects as a last resort when they realize they have no rules in place to legally prevent them.”
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Gazette Editorial Board, Schenectady Gazette 4 December 2019.