Baldwin County residents fight proposed solar farm that will power Meta data center - NBC 15

Full story: https://mynbc15.com/news/local/metas-solar-farm-plans-face-opposition-in-baldwin-county There are plans to build a massive solar farm on thousands of acres in rural Baldwin County. The power generated will be used to meet the needs of a data center Meta is building south of Montgomery. Meta is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. People who live in Stockton, where this solar farm is slated to go, say not in my backyard. "It is very upsetting to most of Stockton," said Susan Burger. Burger says her family has owned land in Stockton for 200 years. She just gave acreage to her grandson to build a home, but she says, now instead of forest for a backyard, she fears they'll be staring at solar panels. "We never expected anything like that," said Burger. "Just really surprised by all of this," said Georgene Gause Conner, Stockton resident and Stockton Heritage Association President. Conner points to news coverage of past proposed developments that were planned for the same land in Stockton that never went anywhere because, she says, of environmental challenges, including wetland areas and protected gopher tortoises that live there. "Once some of this comes in, it invites other industrial things to come in, and that's going to really, really be tragic for this beautiful place," said Conner. During its December meeting, the Alabama Public Service Commission approved Alabama Power’s request to purchase power for 25 years from two subsidiary companies of Silicon Ranch called SR Stockton I and SR Stockton II. "I think this is a great thing and excited about it," said PSC President Cynthia Lee Almond during the meeting. Dotier, LLC, a subsidiary of Meta, will use the energy created from the solar panels for a new data center being built south of Montgomery. Alabama Power says the projects will add 260 megawatts of clean energy capacity. "You feel like David and Goliath. I mean, we are just everyday people here. And then you wake up one morning you find out you've got an Alabama Power, and you've got a Meta, and you've got a Facebook and whoever else involved, and you feel very helpless, and it's very scary, and you're just not sure what to do. And I think we're all still in a shock stage," said Conner. Silicon Ranch says it is purchasing 4,500 acres of land from Stockton 1-65 LLC, which records show is registered to Roberts Brothers in Mobile. Silicon Ranch plans to build the solar farms in two phases. A company spokesperson says less than 2,000 acres will actually be developed. "I know that there were concerns with developing those wetlands 10 and 20 years ago, and all those species are still there," said Baldwin County resident and angler Nick Williams. Baldwin County residents are worried about the project's proximity to the Mobile-Tensaw Delta known as "America's Amazon" and what could happen during a hurricane if solar panels are damaged. A Silicon Ranch spokesperson says the panels, made of cadmium telluride, can be stowed away during storms to reduce impact. "These panels are not hazardous and do not negatively impact soil, water, or human or animal health. Cadmium telluride is not the same as cadmium (Cd), which is toxic in its solitary form. When bonded with tellurium, cadmium becomes part of a highly stable crystalline compound. A helpful analogy is table salt—sodium chloride (NaCl)—which combines two reactive elements into a stable substance you likely use every day," Silicon Ranch spokesperson Rob Hamilton wrote in an email to NBC 15 News. Baldwin County residents have formed a Facebook page called "Stop Solar in Stockton." They want to try and stop the development from happening. "We can't go down without voicing against this, we have to fight this. This is too big for it to just pass after a three-minute meeting that nobody I know was in attendance and was even aware of," said Meagan Fowler. Silicon Ranch hopes to begin construction by the end of this year. Construction would take 12-18 months. ___________________________________________________________ More news coverage NBC 15 at http://mynbc15.com Follow us on BlueSky: https://mynbc15.bsky.social on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mynbc15 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mynbc15/ on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@mynbc15/ on X: https://www.twitter.com/mynbc15 #localnews #mobile #alabama #mobileal #mobilealabama