Solar Farms in NWI (Whiting: house, buying, live in)

[Chicago Bob]

My parents live in NW Indiana so I visit quite often. There are lots of nice places where one could separate themselves if they choose to do so but this is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Big money is buying up all the land in NWI for solar and other projects.

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...lar-power-farm

My parents house is next to a proposed solar development and I put an offer on some land the next day and I was outbid by a commercial solar company in Canada that paid 20% over list!! It is crazy. Not sure how they expect people to eat when productive farmland is all being bought up and replaced with commercial solar installations.

[Meridian12345]

The idea that we are running short on farmland because you got outbid for some land is pretty silly. We grow so much corn that we have to subsidize the burning of it for ethanol just to make it worth something for the farmers.

[Chicago Bob]

Originally Posted by Meridian12345

The idea that we are running short on farmland because you got outbid for some land is pretty silly. We grow so much corn that we have to subsidize the burning of it for ethanol just to make it worth something for the farmers.

Perhaps you are right.. found this from the Guardian article.

https://www.nwitimes.com/business/lo...05a2963ab.html
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/...ch/4541897001/
https://www.pulaskicountyagainstsolar.org/ - click the map
https://www.facebook.com/pulaskiandj...ropertyrights/
https://www.ibj.com/articles/solar-f...osier-backlash

BP is also eye multiple counties in NW Indiana for underground carbon storage from the Whiting plant.

There is more than corn in Indiana, based on the map above it appears there will be a lot less corn.

[GraniteStater]

I’m all for more solar development, far better than the toxic legacy of burning coal that has led to horrible air quality, toxic water pollution, and directly contributes to poorer overall public health along with more excess deaths.

[Chicago Bob]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I’m all for more solar development, far better than the toxic legacy of burning coal that has led to horrible air quality, toxic water pollution, and directly contributes to poorer overall public health along with more excess deaths.

The issue is the practicality of this approach and its long term impact net the power it generates. The map I linked to - 24K acres of farmland out of production in one county alone and it is increasing rapidly. They have to fence off that land so wildlife is no longer able to access it. We aren't talking desert land here, they are taking productive ag land because it is mostly flat, lacks wetland and is already cleared around wetland, etc.

I wasn't aware that they were doing carbon capture for Whiting, IN.

https://www.gem.wiki/Whiting_Clean_Energy_power_station

BP is now looking for places to store the captured carbon, apparently several thousand feet underground between some layers of rock.

https://www.bp.com/en_us/united-stat...nergy/ccs.html

The land is still viable for farming, no need to build + dispose of solar panels, use existing power producing infrastructure, etc.

I am not sold on commercial solar on ag land, even wind you can still farm and I am all for intelligent solar on roof tops, etc. If we truly have so much food we cannot handle it all great, I wasn't aware of that as I grew up on the starving children commercials in Africa.

Sorry if this isn't the right forum for this. I will not post on this topic here as I was just pointing out that land is being consumed for other purposes and it is getting more and more difficult to find in NWI if one were looking for such opportunities.