Energy needn't be a source of pollution
Published July 22, 2014
Editorial by Fayetteville Observer, July 21, 2014.
Who wants a fuel-prospecting operation or power plant in the neighborhood? Sure, a lot of money can be made with fracking - if they find anything - but no one disputes that pumping water deep into the ground is a dirty business. The White House has authorized a search for oil off our coast with sonar devices that may endanger aquatic mammals. Oil rigs are sure to leave a mess if a hurricane adds them to the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Coal-fired and other fossil fuel plants give off noxious fumes and pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while producing toxic sludge that threatens our rivers.
A growing number of plants that gather fuel and convert it to power are cropping up across the region. But there are no fumes, chemicals, waste or risk of accidents. Instead of looking down for power sources to extract from the Earth, these plants look up, gathering sunlight and converting it into electricity.
Solar farms set up arrays of photovoltaic cells. The equipment simply gathers what nature throws at it and performs the conversion to electrical power without moving parts. While the plants can be expensive to install, they require little maintenance afterward.
Robeson County is the leader for solar power generation in eastern North Carolina, but plants have also been popping up in increasing numbers in Scotland, Wayne, Harnett, Moore, Sampson and Bladen counties. Where the facilities are placed, property values increase, providing a nice boost to the local tax base.
While solar farms themselves don't provide many jobs during operation, their steady construction in the region has a measurable effect. Manufacturers in Fayetteville and Laurinburg make parts for the solar arrays, while a Fayetteville contractor specializes in much of the solar site prep work. The plants also become a draw for employers who like the idea of operating with clean energy, something they can boast in their investor and public relations communiques.
At least one solar farm operator has discovered a dual use that keeps former farmland as farmland - letting sheep and donkeys graze in harmony around the high-tech equipment. The thought is enough to make those with an abundance of underused acreage consider solar.
It would be a shame if state regulators or local officials hamstrung this growing industry with unwise changes in policy. A time for additional rules may come, but for now, let solar grow and prosper throughout the Cape Fear region.
