Smart Solar Amherst
Supporting responsible, environmentally sound solar development in Amherst
SOLAR RELATED MEETINGS THIS WEEK IN AMHERST
Public Hearing on Proposals for Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2025 and 2030 - April 15, 2022
Watch and listen as the state of Massachusetts shares the need to PROTECT forests and PLANT new trees to fight climate change by increasing carbon sequestration.
Video of Presentation on YouTube
Start around the 49 minute mark for the section covering the importance of natural and working lands.
RETHINKING WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW - New Developments on Where Solar Should be Sited
Important Solar Siting Joint Statement from MassAudubon, the Nature Conservancy, the New England Forestry Foundation and others.
For the past year, Smart Solar Amherst has been a leader in the effort to develop a comprehensive solar bylaw and solar siting policy in the town. We look forward to supporting the efforts of the study committee and town staff in this endeavor. We would like to be clear about one of the many solar siting considerations that will be part of this study. We DO NOT support clear cutting forest. We believe it makes no sense to destroy large swaths of forest ecosystems in order to produce “clean energy”. Mature forests are the best tools the Earth has to absorb and store carbon dioxide. We need to preserve them and limit the siting of industrial solar to more appropriate sites.
Just some of the reasons to avoid Clear-Cutting:
Increases the risks of soil erosion. Trees slow down water currents, preventing rill formation.
Leads to sedimentation and nutrient leakage to water bodies.
Destroys forest ecosystems depriving wildlife of natural habitats and decreasing biodiversity.
Interferes with the water cycle.
Raises water temperature in the riparian zones due to lack of shade, which adversely affects aquatic animals.
Worsens air quality. Trees enrich the atmosphere with oxygen and take carbon dioxide. Clear-cutting reduces both benefits.
Removes carbon sinks. Tree and forest soils accumulate carbon. When forests are cut, carbon is released, adding to global warming and climate change.
Provokes slides. Tree roots hold the soil in place. After clear-cutting, the earth becomes loose, which often leads to slides.
Clear-cutting is deforestation. Permanent forest cuts without regeneration may result in forest losses, land devastation and desertification.
About Smart Solar Amherst
WHO? Smart Solar Amherst is a coalition of Amherst residents that support the development of renewable energy sources, while protecting forests, native habitats, water, and biodiversity.
WHAT? W.D. Cowls has engaged AMP, a Canadian energy firm, to develop a large-scale 45-acre ground-mounted solar installation. This installation would require the clear-cutting of 45 acres of forest. The project would be close to 3 times the size of the largest solar array that presently exists in Amherst.
WHERE? This project would be installed on forested wilderness owned by W.D. Cowls, on the south side of Shutesbury Road, close to the Adams Brook, along the Pelham border in North Amherst.
WHEN? Initial contact with Shutesbury Road abutters was made by Cowls/AMP in December 2019, when the Amherst Conservation Commission was in the process of reviewing a required wetlands delineation study. Recently Cowls/AMP submitted a Notice of Intent to the town of Amherst Conservation Committee. This is the first step in a process that could lead to a special permit to develop a large-scale solar installation on this land.
WHY? As residents of Amherst, we are the guardians and beneficiaries of its natural resources. Though we support renewable energy, we have deep concerns about the serious and adverse effects of this project and its potential long-term harm.
We advocate for:
HOW? Organize and advocate for best science-based practices, and safe and environmentally sound use of our natural resources.
WHO? Smart Solar Amherst is a coalition of Amherst residents that support the development of renewable energy sources, while protecting forests, native habitats, water, and biodiversity.
WHO? Smart Solar Amherst is a coalition of Amherst residents that support the development of renewable energy sources, while protecting forests, native habitats, water, and biodiversity.
WHAT? W.D. Cowls has engaged AMP, a Canadian energy firm, to develop a large-scale 45-acre ground-mounted solar installation. This installation would require the clear-cutting of 45 acres of forest. The project would be close to 3 times the size of the largest solar array that presently exists in Amherst.
WHERE? This project would be installed on forested wilderness owned by W.D. Cowls, on the south side of Shutesbury Road, close to the Adams Brook, along the Pelham border in North Amherst.
WHEN? Initial contact with Shutesbury Road abutters was made by Cowls/AMP in December 2019, when the Amherst Conservation Commission was in the process of reviewing a required wetlands delineation study. Recently Cowls/AMP submitted a Notice of Intent to the town of Amherst Conservation Committee. This is the first step in a process that could lead to a special permit to develop a large-scale solar installation on this land.
WHY? As residents of Amherst, we are the guardians and beneficiaries of its natural resources. Though we support renewable energy, we have deep concerns about the serious and adverse effects of this project and its potential long-term harm.
We advocate for:
- Avoiding large-scale deforestation;
- Protecting public/private water supply;
- Protecting wild-life habitat, especially rare species;
- Protecting wetlands;
- Placing solar arrays on disturbed land, not forests;
- Creating by-laws that address the development of future solar installations.
HOW? Organize and advocate for best science-based practices, and safe and environmentally sound use of our natural resources.
WHO? Smart Solar Amherst is a coalition of Amherst residents that support the development of renewable energy sources, while protecting forests, native habitats, water, and biodiversity.
