Fears & facts behind enormous Virginia solar farm

The largest solar plant east of the Rockies could be coming to Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

[@denverbevins4052]

No mention that the larger statewide plan is for 167,000 acres of solar. If CO2 were actually a problem, this plan removes the ability to convert CO2 into Oxygen at a rate of 400,000 tons/year. That number jumps to 1.3 million tons/year if all you do is plant feed corn. Virginia is not Saudi Arabia. The land is the treasure here, not the sunshine. Put the panels in Arizona and we can trade feed for energy.

[@bobjohnson4512]

How much CO2 would be produced from a gas fired power plant a year producing that much electricity. All of that CO2 absorbed from your corn crop is released every year when the corn is consumed.

[@beyondfossil]

Plants do indeed have net negative effect on atmospheric carbon but not nearly as much as your example in the long term. Basically, plants are *not* bank vaults of CO₂ but actually very *leaky buckets* of CO₂. Carbon flows in and through plants as carbon cycles *continuously* through our biosphere. When a plant dies, loses its foliage or is consumed then *all* of that carbon will released back to the environment! Also plants emit some CO₂ at night when they themselves consume their day-time generated glucose for their own growth & metabolism. Plants don't produce glucose for the fun of it - and their growth also emits CO₂ similar to how animal metabolize glucose. Contrast that with pulling out fossilized carbon from *deep* within the Earth's crust. That carbon has been *totally* sequestered from the biosphere for millions of years. Then imagine doing it at a massive 37-billion metric tons per year into the environment. Don't have to imagine because that's what is happening now sadly for fossil fuels. Global atmospheric CO₂ is indeed a problem. The atmosphere has reached over 421-ppm CO₂ concentration levels not seen in over 4-million years but all happening in a blink of an eye in geological scales. Look at the J-shaped historical atmospheric CO₂ concentrations up until now all coincidentally since the start of the Industrial Revolution: co2levels.org

[@russellkeeling4387]

It just occurred to me that with the small suit case size nuclear power generators I hear of now, we should be able to use our electric cars to power our homes when we are there in stead of the other way around.

[@dougclem7711]

You would think Dominion would let customers put these on customers roofs. I think the power companies fight customers putting solar panels on their homes. They look like roofs anyway.

[@eddienavarro7919]

1:07 Being this close to human beings!

[@bobo44donemilking51]

People that don't own alot land are again it ,if they owned land they would before it

[@allenhollenbach4692]

What was the end of thisbstory? 2 are coming to south Pennsylvania

[@user-md6cv9rc9t]

Liquid Salt Thorium Reactors a safe, needed and reliable means to provide energy. Not much room in the atmosphere for CO2 anyway.

[@carlel4219]

People always complain about anything,,,,

[@rd7417]

Follow the money!! 😡

[@chriscraven33]

like what happen in texas, snow covered solar panels no electricity, people froze. we had steam coal burning generators but federal law forbids to use them. texas has little nuclear power only gas but that froze too

[@suesmith9905]

Gee anyone hear about flexibility. Why does society always have to go from one extreme to the other? Usually causing damage.sounds like the wrong people are in charge. That why the saying in all things moderation came about! Some people never seem to learn or want to learn.

[@bobjohnson4512]

That is not what happened in Texas. The state regulators shut the power to gas suppliers so they couldn't sent gas to the power producers. Hand nothing to do with snow.

[@hayden9102]

Vic and Sarah need an attitude adjustment

[@robri87-hh4gr]

Go ahead and put solar panels on your “wasteland”. I guarantee by doing so you will have hot and humid weather, and heat waves in the summer months. Also, you can chuck in flood -rains, freezing winters, bad winter storms, and wildfires. Solar panels farms in Morocco could interfere with the weather in North America or Australia as an example. Solar panels are black. Black is an alien colour to Earth. Installing black solar panels all over the place can change weather patterns. Black Solar panels are interfering with nature. They produce more heat than electricity. 85% heat,15% electricity. And they are producing that heat all day. I personally know nothing about it. I’m just quoting what scientists are saying.

[@jb76489]

Correct, you don’t know anything about

[@robri87-hh4gr]

@@jb76489 You are right. I don't know anything about solar panel farms. I am only quoting what accredited scientists are saying.

[@jb76489]

@@robri87-hh4gr Source: trust me bro

[@notayoutuber1856]

Knock down all those trees....smh

[@zefrum3]

are those your trees? if not move a long

[@Jemalacane0]

@@zefrum3 Trees are infinitely better for the environment than solar horseshit.

[@zefrum3]

@@Jemalacane0 much like u

[@robertbrawley5048]

@@Jemalacane0 blame it on the Amazon basin

[@MrBurns0618]

@@Jemalacane0 100% agree!! I live in a very rural area, in the adirondacks in upstate ny which is the largest wooded area in the lower 48, and I’m seeing more and more solar farms go up!! Is sickening and disgusting! Hopefully no more as many protests and people buying the land have made big solar move away luckily.

[@theethicalhacker7271]

I’d take a solar farm over a housing development..

[@stucrawford6230]

Funny Yanks

[@info781]

This is a great project, the land is not destroyed , grass will grow and small animals can live there. In 30 years, if you want, the land can easily be returned to to farming. Once you build houses it can never be farmed again.

[@MrBurns0618]

This is absolutely sickening. It destroyed agriculture, less food for farming, less wildlife, less food, less land, and completely fenced off, not powering the residents, not to mention house hold will be way down in value because of the disgusting solar farm.

[@MrBurns0618]

And yes you can farm with houses, many houses in rural farm areas will grow crops, sometimes in large scale, feeding locals and markets. And this is all for big corporations.

[@info781]

@@MrBurns0618 Weak argument, there is no shortage of farm land in this area or the USA for that matter, there is a huge excess of dairy and corn production. I like that the companies like Microsoft are moving to green power, many people in the area probably use Microsoft services. As for wildlife they will enjoy the demise of coal mining.

[@fredsheehan2650]

Solar panels are impervious, sloped surfaces, acting like roofs of houses without gutters, increasing runoff velocity, erosion and storm water management issues. 167,000 acres,, mostly consisting of impervious surfaces. Animals? Ground hogs and voles? No trees. If you like the idea, go move near one. I'll bet the house and property will be highly discounted.

[@lbennhtx6072]

Rape of the land. Shame !!!!!

[@info781]

Rape of the land, That would be blasting the tops off mountains to get coal, destroying rivers for 100 years and building coal power plants, polluting the air for at least 30 miles. If this is the future for power, it looks really good.

[@lbennhtx6072]

@@info781 So go live surrounded by horrendous wind turbines and solar panels and get that crap away from us that do not want it destroying our landscapes! Shame!!!!

[@info781]

@@lbennhtx6072 if you think they are ugly, I respect your opinion. However, people should not make up fake stories about chemical leaks and loss of farming, when urbanization causes the most loss of farmland. We need clean air electricity and solar and wind are it. To me, they are far more pretty than a coal mine.

[@zefrum3]

its not our land, u have no claim to complain

[@bobo44donemilking51]

I'm for solar farms ,I've just been approached here in Michigan , they said they would not cut any trees