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Solar Farming, an Efficient Use of Barren Land

Cooler Planet Blog, January 26, 2009

In Massachusetts, Ansar Energy LLC proposes leasing “barren” land to set up a planned $750-million solar power project.
Based out of Israel, the solar-power firm has hit on the idea of using a number of otherwise unused or unusable locations to create a “solar farm”, among them the periphery of Worcester Airport, a capped landfill, property adjacent to a water treatment plant, and even “deep in the woods” near the town of Attleboro. The airport, serving a regional air-travel economy, is probably a bad choice, but the capped landfill in Attleboro seems an ideal selection.

According to Junaid Yasin, president of Ansar Energy, the proposal is a win-win, generating clean energy and providing revenue for small towns. Yasin says the company is willing to pay $15,000 per acre for a long-term lease, providing the property is at least 20 acres and accessible to the existing power grid.

This $300,000 in income no doubt sounds like a windfall to some of the small towns Yasin is considering, which include Attleboro, Greenfield, Lowell, Gardner and communities in the Berkshires. As the economic crisis deepens, small American towns in particular are struggling to meet budgets inflated by years of prosperity.

Massachusetts Senator James Timilty (D-Walpole) describes it as an “absolutely intriguing possibility” to which he sees no downside, since the proposed parcels would never be used for anything else. Additionally, the solar panels do not impact sites, even landfills, because the panels are anchored to concrete blocks rather than pilings driven into the ground.

The project, which Timilty describes as being “deep into the design phase”, would be ready to start construction immediately if and when Congress approves President-elect Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package, which targets renewable energy.
The only downside this writer sees is actual production versus projections. One hundred megawatts of solar, in the Northeast, may have an effective yield of less than 60 megawatts, because the sun doesn’t shine all the time, particularly in winter. So let’s say the Ansar solar farm electrifies 35,000 homes in the area. This predicates revenues of about $22 million, assuming solar power will be sold close to parity with coal/nuclear power. In all likelihood, it will command higher prices, since alternative energy is usually delivered to consumers at greater cost as a “green” energy option.

The revenue generated is certainly a win for Ansar. The win for the selected city is $300,000 in additional revenues without a dollar invested. The win for the environment is about 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide, and 2,000 tons each of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, that don’t get pumped into the atmosphere. The only loss might be ecological, if the winning site is in an undeveloped area, and even then the gain (in non-emissions) far offsets the loss of a mere six acres of habitat.

Hats off to Ansar Energy, and all the solar energy companies out there willing to lease land at fair market prices for solar installations. Ansar is a prime example of making solar accessible, and sets an example to other companies looking to capitalize on the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy.