Green Garden Township Confronts Massive 600-Megawatt Solar Project Proposal

Article Summary: A Virginia-based energy company is planning a 600-megawatt commercial solar facility that could cover over 5,000 acres of farmland across Green Garden, Wilton Center, and Manhattan Townships, sparking significant community concern and mobilizing opposition. The Upper Fork Watershed Committee presented a report detailing the project’s massive scale and the developer’s lack of transparency, announcing plans for a township-wide petition and potential litigation.

Proposed Solar Facility Key Points:

• Project Scale: The proposal from Earthwise includes a 600-megawatt facility, requiring an estimated 1.5 million solar panels and covering between 4,200 and 5,200 acres of farmland.

• Developer: The project is being developed by Earthwise, a Virginia-based corporation that acquired the nearby Lincoln Generation Facility, a natural gas power plant, in 2022.

• Community Response: Led by the Upper Fork Watershed Committee, residents are organizing a petition drive to demonstrate opposition and are preparing for potential litigation to challenge the project.

• Lack of Transparency: Officials and residents expressed frustration that Earthwise has not formally presented its plans to the township board, despite reportedly operating in the area since 2023.

GREEN GARDEN TOWNSHIP — A massive commercial solar project that would snake across thousands of acres of prime farmland is being planned for Green Garden and neighboring townships, drawing sharp criticism from residents who are now organizing to fight it.

Thomas Becker, chairman of the Upper Fork Watershed Committee, presented a report to the Green Garden Township Board on Monday, outlining the scale of a proposed 600-megawatt solar facility by a Virginia-based company called Earthwise. The project would require an estimated 1.5 million solar panels and consume between 4,200 and 5,200 acres of farmland, stretching through Green Garden, Wilton Center, and Manhattan Townships.

“It’s 5,000 acres. Why? Why here?” Becker asked the board and assembled residents. “It’s the land use. It’s ridiculous. There’s no reason for doing this.”

The committee’s investigation began after a resident near the Prairie Schooner subdivision was offered a six-figure sum for a transmission line easement and refused. Becker said research revealed Earthwise, which purchased the 700-megawatt Lincoln Generation natural gas facility just west of the township in 2022, is planning the solar installation as an addition to its energy portfolio.

Despite the project’s enormous size, which Becker contrasted with a recently withdrawn 5-megawatt proposal, he said the company has failed to engage with township officials.

“On their website, they say, ‘Our motto is full disclosure and transparency.’ And here we have no information,” Becker said, noting the company has been acquiring land leases since 2023. “Within a month, they’re supposed to put an application at the Will County Land Use Department where we will get an idea of this map, but it’s much larger than just 104th Avenue.”

Becker suggested the project’s immense energy output could be intended to power a future data center, citing the massive energy appetite of artificial intelligence technologies.

The committee raised alarms about environmental impacts, including the use of panels made with slave labor in China, the potential for toxic chemicals like cadmium and zinc to leach into the soil, and the permanent loss of prime farmland. Citing a recent USDA report showing the U.S. lost 20 million acres of farmland in five years, Becker noted a push from the Department of Agriculture to stop placing solar facilities on such land.

“Who’s going to put their dream home next to 1.5 million panels of solar? No one will want to do that,” Becker stated. “It’s such a devastating impact to our community.”

To combat the proposal, the Watershed Committee is launching a two-pronged strategy: a township-wide petition drive and preparation for litigation.

“The petition is really important because it sends a message that yeah, we’re engaged enough to do something about it,” Becker said, referencing a previous successful petition campaign that led another solar developer to withdraw its application.

He added that litigation is necessary to slow the process and force the company to produce records and data. “That is how you slow the grinder down and the company now has to start producing records, information, data to us and then we can have a fair assessment and level the playing field.”

Becker and other residents also noted that Earthwise has reportedly been offering grants to local organizations, including a church food pantry, in what they described as an attempt to buy support without formally presenting its plans to elected officials.

An application for the project is expected to be filed with Will County between October 13 and 24.