The Lancaster Town Board will hold a Public Hearing on the 1st day of March 2021, to hear all interested persons upon the application of Andrea DeBernardis of AC Power 14, LLC, for a Special Use Permit to install two (2) Co-located Ballasted Community Solar PV Facilities to be located on two (2) parcels on Gunnville Road.

The resolution was adopted but not without controversy. Resident Kevin Lemaster addressed the board at the opening pre-file resolution public comment session and requested the board consider tabling the resolution for further study / research.

Lemaster questioned whether the board had done due diligence in researching the adverse impacts of a solar project on the environment. After asking several questions that went unanswered, he commented that was the reason he commented the board needed tabling the resolution to allow for them and the public as well to do research. “The town is first and foremost responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the residents,” remarked Lemaster.

Council members Leary and Dickman agreed with Lemasters’ request. Supervisor Ruffino told Lemaster that his comments and concerns could be made known at the public hearing. Lemaster countered by pointing out it was important to know when the dump site was closed and what kinds of toxic materials were dumped on the landfill and their impact on groundwater.

After conferring with councilmembers Mazur and Wozniak, Ruffino stated that the resolution would stand but that the public would have an opportunity to submit written questions / comments and the board promised not to vote on approving the special use permit the same evening, but to digest the comments and vote later.

Public comment session

Lemaster also addressed the board at the closing public comment session and presented information the town and public should consider. Information that even the project sponsor might not be able to answer.

Everyone knows that climate change is a problem and that CO2 emissions are of big concern now that America rejoined the Paris Climate Accord.

The panels are made in China because you cannot make them in the U.S because of chemicals not allowed here – like NITROGEN TRIFLOURIDE (TRIFLORAMINE) is 17,200 times more deadly than C02 and a major contributor to Green House Gas.

Other toxic chemicals:

SULFUR HEXAFLOURIDEANOTHER
CADMIUM TELLURIDE
COPPER INDIUM SELENIDE
CADMIUM INDIUM GALLIUM (DI) SELENIDE LEAD
POLYVINYL FLUORDE
SILICON TETRACHLORIDE. (IF EXPOSED TO WATER, RELEASES HYDROCHLORIC ACID).

Overall, solar panels create 300 times more toxic waste per unit of energy than Nuclear Nitrogen Trifluoride emissions by 1,057% over the last 25 years.

If the same amount of electricity were produced by solar and nuclear in 2016, over the next 25 years, nuclear waste would be approximately 52 meters in height (height of leaning tower of Pisa). The solar waste produced would equate to 16 kilometers, or the height of two Mount Everest’s.

In comparison, nuclear produces 4 grams of CO2 per KWH, solar 50 grams of CO2 per KWH.

Solar efficiency- 11-15%
Wind efficiency – 32%
Coal & natural gas efficiency – 52% (Blades cut up and placed in landfills. Cannot be recycled.)
Nuclear efficiency – 91%

Decommissioned solar panels are buried in landfills or shipped to 3rd world countries for disposal. No way to rid of them now, even 20-30 years later. There has been no plan set up yet on how to get rid of these.

Please do your research because these are not clean energy and cannot be recycled. They can recycle the frames, the cables, yes. Transformers yes, but not the waste. This is going to be a future global chemical problem.