A solar farm's slow going

When Bob Keares proposed building Pennsylvania's largest solar farm in the heart of Chester County, he expected a warm reception, certainly from environmentalists.

With 35,000 panels arrayed on a steep slope in Caln Township, the farm would generate 10 megawatts of energy, pollution-free. It could power 2,000 homes, he asserted, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 200,000 tons over 40 years - equivalent to planting eight million trees.

Keares' green dream did not end there.

He envisioned the farm attracting other solar companies to the area.

"It could be a much bigger thing," said the president of Keares Electrical Contractors Inc., of Downingtown, which moved into the solar-production business five years ago. "I see our future. I see clean energy."

Since announcing his intentions last February, Keares has been confronted by the expected cadre of opponents from the neighborhood, but also some he never unexpected: environmentalists.

The Brandywine Conservancy, one of the region's leading land preservation groups, has come out against his Coatesville Solar Initiative.

Turning the 46-acre forested tract into a field of panels - rising as high as 9 feet, and set in rows 12 feet apart - could dangerously increase storm-water runoff, the conservancy contends, and destroy vital wildlife habitat.

"We love solar energy. We love wind energy. It's just that it's a high price to pay to rip out these natural areas," said Wesley R. Horner, senior adviser for water resources.

"Solar's a great idea. But it's got to be put in the right place."

In Keares' view, this is the right place - especially given the proximity to the Coatesville Area School District's high school and administrative offices.

He's working on a deal to sell energy directly to the district, which has endorsed the project. By bypassing the electrical grid, Keares says, the school system could save $200,000 to $400,000 a year on energy costs, depending on the rate negotiated.

He also wants to supply power to the neighboring Coatesville Veterans Affairs Hospital, though formal dialogue has yet to begin.