Former county supervisor Jerry Diefenderfer does not speak for me when he said, regarding the Topaz Solar Farm, “People see this as a less objectionable alternative.” The farm land that these solar companies want to convert into an industrial zone is right next to an area of small acreage parcels where people live. And I for one did not invest my life savings to retire in a home next to 6,000 plus acres of solar panels, And there are many other area residents who share that opinion.
Just like the windmill boom in west Texas that pitted neighbor against neighbor, these solar companies are offering big bucks to turn these large ranchers into overnight gazillionaires. Meanwhile, we little guys are left to live in the mess. So while a few get to cash in big time on the rush for renewable energy, there are many of us who will be the collateral damage with a ruined community, crushed dreams, and no big payoff like a few of our lucky neighbors.
This article appears in May 8-15, 2008.