ALEXIS, Ill. — A Missouri energy company wants to build an estimated $55 million solar farm in rural Mercer County, but it's a proposal that several neighbors aren't happy about.
Birch Creek Energy has proposed the project, which would be built in Alexis, IL (about 45 minutes south of the Quad Cities). The solar farm would stretch over 380 acres worth of land outside of town, next to several homes.
The project has neighbors like Renee Tadie upset, as her home would be surrounded on three sides by the solar farm. "It has blown us away. It's been a big surprise and a shock," Tadie said.
The Tadie home was bought from a family friend and was first built in the 1870s. "They were adamant that someone buy this house that would take very good care of it, keep it in its historic vintage setting," Tadie explained, saying the promise of preserving its beauty will be hard to keep if the project goes forward.
"We did try to have an open mind, met with the solar developer, I think four times... we just didn't get very far in that area," she said.
Tadie isn't alone. Some of her neighbors would be right next to the development.
"We built our house in 2003 and it's gonna be our forever home," neighbor Matt Fredrickson said, who is concerned about the noise and environmental impact. "We have our protected endangered species in our area, the bats and things," he said.
Steve Gregory, a fifth generation farmer, lives across the street from the Tadies. "When you see ground taken out of production like this is going to be, and you see all these solar panels installed, it really changes the dynamic of your community," Gregory said.
Tadie recently went to see another solar farm in central Illinois with her husband Mark Tadie. "We had gone down by Lincoln, and the solar developer said, what you see down there, will be very much what you'll have up here," Mark said. "It wasn't very pleasing to the eye to see just, a sea of glass and steel, that just goes for hundreds of acres."
At county zoning board meetings, Birch Creek has said the solar farm would be a tax benefit for the area, not affect property value and wouldn't create noise or storm water issues.
The Mercer County Zoning Board is expected to vote on a permit for the company to continue design work. That meeting is on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Mercer County Courthouse.
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