Solar energy promises to deliver abundant energy, with minimal climate impact and little dependence on fossil fuels. But, under current solar panel technology, scaling up solar power to meet utility company demands requires land – a lot of land.
The proposed 1.3 megawatt Vista Sands Solar Project near Plover, Wisconsin would gobble up some 7,000 acres, an area the size of Lakes Monona and Kegonsa combined.
Photo credit: Paul C. Sparks, courtesy Wisconsin DNRAnd in the case of the Vista Sands the land it will use falls right in the middle of prime habitat for the Greater Prairie Chicken, an endangered species in Wisconsin.
Peter Ziegler, photo courtesy of the subjectPeter Ziegler is the past president of the President of the Society of Tympanuchus Cupido Pinnatus – or in English, the Greater Prairie Chicken Society – and he spoke with Monday Buzz host Brian Standing about the situation.
Web posting by WORT producer Nicholas Wootton
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