Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

JACKSON – “We’ve had a lot of questions and concerns. And we want to bring you the experts to educate us on the fundamentals of solar.”

That was how Derrick Bennett, Northampton County’s Economic Development Director, introduced a representative from the Center for Energy Education (C4EE) during the Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Jan. 27.

Earlier in January, some commissioners had expressed concerns about access to solar energy education for citizens of the county. During recent months, a group of citizens from around the Gaston area have spoken during public comments to ask questions about the growing number of large solar farms near their homes.

In response, the county enacted a moratorium last year to halt any new solar facility construction until June 30, 2025. It cannot, however, stop any facilities that had already been approved for construction.

C4EE is a nonprofit headquartered in Roanoke Rapids that conducts research into renewable energy sources and provides education and workforce development support on the topic too.

C4EE Community Outreach Manager Reginald Bynum lead Monday’s presentation, going over the benefits of solar energy as well as addressing frequently asked questions.

He began with a few statistics about solar energy in North Carolina. The state is currently ranked fourth in the country in solar power, and 9.75 percent of energy in the state is generated by solar.

“North Carolina is number one in the country in private investments for solar,” he stated.

Bynum noted that solar energy benefits include a reduction of air pollutants and greenhouse gases (which contribute to climate change), more stable energy costs, improved worker safety (compared to coal mining, fracking, oil drilling, etc), and economic impacts.

Those economic impacts, he said, could include hiring local people for construction jobs that pay more than the average local wage. Additionally, workers learn a number of transferable job skills while working on solar that they can continue to use in other jobs afterwards.

People often have questions about property values near solar farms, and Bynum said that a large-scale national study showed that homes within a mile of a solar farm might see a slight reduction in value (an average of 2.3 percent). But he compared that to being located next to a landfill or hog farm, which will reduce the value by double digit percentages.

Out of more than 160,000 acres of cropland in Northampton County, Bynum said only 8,627 acres are currently being used for solar facilities.

“That’s roughly 5.3 percent of the total land use in Northampton County,” he said.

Commissioner Melvetta Broadnax Taylor asked if they were “leaving money on the table” with solar farms, and if the county was benefitting from them.

Bynum explained that counties can put guidelines in place to ensure that there’s a community benefit to the projects, and it’s helpful to look at solar projects as economic development.

Commissioner Kelvin Edwards said that people often raise concerns about safety around solar facilities, in regards to both people and the environment, and he asked if Bynum would share more information about that.

Bynum answered that many places around the state mandate wildlife impact studies to be done even before they approach a planning board with their request. In Northampton County, Bynum said that it would be a good idea for companies to work with the county’s agriculture advisory board while developing projects.

“I’m pro-solar if it works for our communities,” Bynum emphasized.

A few citizens in the audience also asked some questions about solar, including about decommissioning panels. Bynum stated that NC Department of Environmental Quality regulates and monitors decommissioning.

He also urged citizens to attend Planning Board meetings, so they can learn more about potential projects and advocate for their communities.

In addition to the presentation, Bynum also shared a “Frequently Asked Questions” handout with the audience and commissioners.

According to that handout, solar farms don’t increase a person’s electricity bill. Instead, utility-scale (large scale) solar farms help stabilize energy costs by reducing dependence on fluctuating fossil fuel prices.

Solar farms are also considered safe because the technology used is non-toxic, and systems are designed to meet strict safety and environmental standards. Additionally, buffer zones are often included to protect local ecosystems.

More information about solar energy is available at C4EE’s website: center4ee.org