“We would prefer that no objects be placed in that zone.”
Earl Bares is the manager of the Grand Haven Memorial Airpark and says solar panels in the clear zone near the end of an airport runway is not safe.
“And sacrificing safety at the airport to put in solar panels is not a very good idea.”
But Board of Light and Power general manager Rob Shelley says the proposed solar farm is beyond the runway protection zone, and they will remove the trees on the property.
“So, they will have actually more clear space. We are talking about putting something in the ground that’s going to be 10 to15 foot high.”
Every member of city council voted for an easement that allows the project to proceed. It’s what Shelley says he needs before submitting the plan to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“If they say no, we are done. But I can’t ask them for permission to build something that I don’t have approval to use that land.”
If it’s built, Shelley says the BLP will sell or lease panels in the solar farm to customers and give them credit for electricity produced.
“They would get the output credited back on their Board of Light and Power bill. I think this is a win-win where they get more clear space, the community can get a solar project and able to use land that is otherwise unusable.”
