Petition signatures against massive solar array in rural CT town top 1,100

Yahoo

15-05-2025

Residents looking to block an expansion of a huge solar array on East Windsor farmland got a boost Wednesday when the town's legislative delegation put out a bipartisan statement slamming the proposal as damaging and unwelcome.
'The people in the town have spoken clearly and loudly at all levels,' state Sen. Saud Anwar said at the Legislative Office Building. 'Our message is clear: Reject this expansion … do not allow our community in East Windsor to be overlooked again.'
Anwar, a Democrat, along with Democratic Rep. Jaime Foster and Republican Rep. Carol Hall issued a call for the Connecticut Siting Council to reject a request from Desri Holdings L.P. to approve more than 150 additional acres in East Windsor for solar arrays.
Residents and town leaders argue that East Windsor and a few other sparsely populated towns with large quantities of farmland are being forced to carry most of the weight of renewable energy for the state and beyond.
'Achievement of the state's renewable energy goals should be the responsibility of the entire state, not just a few rural towns,' Town Attorney Robert DeCrescenzo wrote last month on behalf of selectmen.
If the state approves the expansion, East Windsor would end up with a total of more than 1,100 acres consumed for solar energy. Much of the expansion would be near residential areas, which would harm existing owners' ability to enjoy their homes, he wrote.
More than 1,100 people have signed an online petition against the project, warning 'Our town's rural identity, scenic views, and peaceful neighborhoods are incompatible with large-scale solar development. The proposed expansion would industrialize beloved green space and diminish property values.'
Desri, a New York-based renewable energy company, contends the expansion will provide 'cost effective, stably priced, renewable energy to Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island customers,' saying it would deliver power to high-demand centers including Hartford, Providence and western Massachusetts.
The company has approval for a 120-megawatt project, and is asking the Siting Council to approve an additional 30 megawatts.
'Upon completion, the expansion will deliver affordable, renewable energy to customers in Connecticut – producing enough clean energy to power approximately 4,500 homes in central Connecticut and beyond,' the company says.
Desri advertises that it has solar and wind projects across 22 states generating enough power for nearly 2 million homes.
'Our commitment to a sustainable future is reflected in our ongoing engagement with the East Windsor community throughout all stages of the project,' according to Desri's webpage.
But residents and the state delegation disagree.
'We along with our first selectman, Jason Bowsza, stand united to deliver a clear message to the Siting Council that our community will not be ignored. The Gravel Pit Solar Project must be stopped,' Anwar said. 'I have yet to come across any person who is in favor of this expansion, not a single one.'
The expansion wouldn't include only farmland; part of the area is forest, and Desri plans to clear 46 acres of trees.
Neighbors say that's not acceptable.
'I moved here for the open space, the farms, and the peace of rural living — not to live beside a fenced-off industrial solar array. What was once a quiet, natural landscape is now a stark, lifeless installation of metal and wire. The wildlife is gone. The view is gone. The quality of life is gone,' resident Dominic Pascucci wrote in a letter to the Siting Council, which is scheduled to take up Desri's project on Thursday.
'Meanwhile, my property value will most likely drop, yet I'm still expected to pay the same inflated property taxes based on a prior assessment—one that no longer reflects the reality of what's next door. In essence, I'm being penalized for someone else's profit,' he wrote. 'To make matters worse, the energy generated by this massive project doesn't even serve our community—it's sold out of state. Those of us living in the shadow of this development get none of the benefit and all of the burden.'
Homeowner Christina Dahl said this week that hundreds of residents are frustrated.
'I guess you can say we are now officially a power plant/utility and no longer a town,' she said. 'We need our state leaders to realize we as a town should not have to carry the load for renewal energy in the state.'