Solar Farm Project in Rome

Rome, Wis. (WFHR, WIRI) – A solar farm project in Rome is a hot topic in the area. Residents who live in the town year-round are concerned. Many feel a solar farm isn’t right for the recreation area in Adams County.

Carl Hasdal is the Rome Town Board Chair. Hasdal stated, “We found out about two years ago that NextEra was interested in putting a solar farm here. They were going to lease 2,000 acres from Meteor. They own the forested lands, basically because it’s so cheap, the land is very cheap. And they had grants available apparently to finance all this.”

Hasdal said the project would level 2,000 of the 7,000 acres of trees in the Town of Rome. As you’re driving along Highway 13 towards the Rome area, you’ll see solar farms for roughly two miles along both sides of the road. The farms will end up being very close to Lake Camelot. The Public Service Commission has a map of the project here.

Public Input

During the past two years, Hasdal said NextEra only held two meetings about the Akron Solar Project. Residents of the Tri-Lakes region could attend, but couldn’t really participate. They were allowed to submit questions at the second meeting, but the company didn’t answer all the questions. Gary Radl describes the meeting on December 3rd, 2024 in detail on a Rome Community Advocates Facebook post.

Hasdal commented regarding his thoughts on the meeting. “Basically, they want to stick it down our throats without our say whatsoever. The state legislature has given the PSC, three members of the PSC, basically power to do basically whatever they want.” The PSC is the Public Service Commission. The three commissioners are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate.

Impacts on the Community

In addition to the possibility of decreased property value in the area, Rome Town Board Member Tim Reppen said they have environmental concerns as well. “Well, the concerns I think is more like the environmental impact here. We’re worried about the environment with the lake being so close and also the wildlife habitat around it.”

There’s also the concern of loss of recreation area for snowmobiles, ATV trails, and hunters. That area of Adams County has a large deer population. With these assets, Hasdal worries about the loss of access to the land under consideration. They wouldn’t have access for the next 30-plus years and the possible lose revenue options from recreational tourism and property tax income.

NextEra

According to their website, NextEra says the project will bring 200 megawatts of clean energy into the county. On their Get Informed page, they make the following claims: They don’t believe that solar or energy storage negatively impacts health. While all forms of energy have an environmental impact, solar energy is among the lowest. They say there is no evidence to indicate solar projects impact neighboring property values. NextEra also explain that when a solar project is decommissioned, they return the land to its original condition.

Next Steps

Chair Person Hasdal said the town board has approved engaging an attorney to contest the solar farm project in Rome. They don’t believe a solar farm is in the best interest of the community. NextEra will invest some money back into the region. Hasdal said most of it will go to the county. “There’s going to be a million dollars paid back to the county and the town. The county’s going to get a majority of that. I think it was 54% and the town’s 46 or 44% somewhere around there.”

The board will be discussing how to move forward with the attorney at the next board meeting. The Town of Rome Community Development Authority meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 5th at 3pm.

Links

Town of Rome Solar Information

Akron Solar Project from NextEra

Rome Community Advocates Facebook

Public Service Commission of Wisconsin