Letter from a reader
March 2
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TRENTON VOTERS No in March, Yes in May on Solar LUO changes.
Trenton voters can weigh in on changes to our Solar Land Use Ordinance on March 10, 2-6 p.m.
I have followed this and been extensively involved in the discussion here in Trenton. My view is vote NO now on the 20-acre proposal and then YES in May at our town meeting on the accessory use only option.Absentee ballots for the March vote are now available through the Trenton town office.
Voting this way in no way stops home or business accessory use solar. Any residence or business can still install solar panels to meet their onsite energy needs.
Voting this way would stop larger commercial projects in Trenton often called solar farms.
I would like to share my environmental reasons for opposing more large-scale solar farms at this point in Trenton.
Solar panels only last 20-30 years. Very, very few facilities exist that recycle solar panels. The majority of them end up in landfills. Maine's decommissioning statutes contain no mandates for recycling spent solar panels. https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=SP0113&item=3&snum=130
Last fall, the state had hearings and expanded Juniper Ridge Landfill* in Old Town, which is leaching toxins onto Penobscot Nation land, surrounding areas and the river nearby. We cannot keep filling our landfills with more and more. There will be tens of thousands of acres of decommissioned solar panels in Maine in 20-30 years. Where will we put these?
Not in my backyard is NOT my mindset. I’m concerned about protecting everyone, including the Penobscot Nation who have the fallout of our trash foisted on them.
Trenton is not a good place for large commercial solar. The Maine Audubon Society and other environmental groups are clear that proper siting of large scale commercial solar projects is incredibly important. Audubon has a solar siting tool on their website. Trenton is not a recommended area for large scale solar because we are on a peninsula with water all around and are heavily forested.
It can be argued that the amount of carbon 20 or more acres of trees sequester is just as beneficial to the environment as a 20-acre solar farm. Trenton is heavily forested and cutting down acres of trees to site large solar farms doesn't make sense. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/10/clearing-forests-to-erect-solar-panels-may-not-be-clean-energy-solution/
We already have two commercial solar farms in Trenton. We are doing our part. Do we really need more and more of these clear cuts?
Companies that put in solar farms, even those calling themselves “community solar” companies, are largely funded by large multinational commodities brokers based in other countries. I have followed the money for several solar companies and found they are heavily funded by companies in Germany and Japan, for example. Do those companies care about our interests as residents of Trenton? The Public Advocate here in Maine recently had to contact “community” solar companies for billing practices not living up to their claims. Already we are seeing these companies not living up to their promises where the almighty dollar is concerned. https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/maines-public-advocate-asks-community-solar-companies-produce-billing-rates-after
It is my hope there will be improvements in technology in the next 5-10 years that make solar much more efficient, so we can do with five acres what we now do with twenty and so we can truly recycle used up panels. I would like to take a pause here in Trenton and see how this develops. We can always change the LUO down the road to keep pace with this developing area.
— Christina Heiniger
Christina Heiniger is a resident of Trenton. She is on the Solid Waste Committee there and was on the Solar Working Group in Trenton which worked to create recommendations to put before the voters regarding Trenton's Solar Land Use Ordinance.
Resources she has linked:
*Juniper Ridge Landfill (JRL) is a state-owned landfill privately operated by Casella Waste systems. JRL is the largest landfill in the state of Maine, located a mere mile upstream from the Penobscot Nation reservation. (FMI: https://www2.pslweb.org/no_waste_in_wabanaki)
State of Maine solar project guidance regarding endangered species: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ard/docs/ifw-solar-project-guidance-03052020.pdf