Currently in Rhinelander
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TOWN OF ROME, Wis. (WJFW) — Many of Wisconsin’s solar farms are built in rural communities. Often, they’re a great compromise; like when a farmer can make some money leasing unproductive land.
Sometimes, neighbors say they don’t want a solar farm. They come out to protest at town halls, to sign petitions, to place signs in their front yards. The question becomes: will the energy company listen? And if it won’t, will the state?
This summer summer in the Town of Rome, thousands arrive; vacationers here to ride trails, enjoy the lakes, and tee off at Sand Valley. In the winter, the town shrinks back to its population of 3,200.
On one cold January morning, I met a handful of yearlong residents at Town Hall. They’re standing against what they say could change their way of life.
“This is something that we’re all looking at, all the time,” said Tim Schumacher, a Rome resident.
Just a few minutes north are acres of red pine. The land owner, Meteor Timber, has leased to Akron Solar, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy—the largest utilities holding company in the world. About 2,000 acres would be clear cut and replaced by fields of solar panels.
“We’re all in support of solar,” said Jeff Weingart, chair of the towns anti-solar farm ad-hoc committee. “Just, this is the wrong place for it.”
The farm would replace 30% of Rome’s MFL land: forest reserved for sustainable logging. Opponents say that would affect tourism by cutting off recreational trails and replacing natural scenery.
They argue there’s a risk to development and real estate values. And multiple endangered species—like the Karner Blue Butterfly, the Whooping Crane and the slender glass lizard — live on what would be the site of the solar panels.
“This is going to be devastating to the ecosystem,” said resident Gary Gevers.
To store energy captured by the panels, Akron’s plan includes a 200 MW multiacre battery complex. Images and news articles of what happens when these batteries fail have spread through the community, well, like wildfire.
“A lithium fire has to burn up its fuel,” said Mark Kane, Rome’s volunteer fire chief.
“The ones in California, it was on for seven days,” said Carl Hasdal, Rome’s town chair. referring to a 2024 fire in Moss Landing, CA. “We don’t have that, we don’t have those resources.”
“They had to have hazmat teams there,” said Gary Radl, another resident. Toxic metals were detecting in the smoke from the Moss Landing fire.
There’s been over 100 dangerous battery system failures globally since 2011. Rome is in one of the most wildfire-prone areas in Wisconsin, and some residents say a large battery wouldn’t be worth the risk.
Akron Solar says the project will bring the area 450 construction jobs and $1 million in annual tax revenue. In filings, the company downplayed concerns over fires and toxic metals, and accused some residents of “fearmongering.” Many say they want to know what they’re in for.
“Already educated people have become even more educated on a project like this, and what that means for their community,” said Karen Derauf, Rome town administrator.
Today, just below 6% of Wisconsin’s total electricity is created through solar. Akron’s project in Rome is part of a statewide rise in new, utility scale solar projects.
Lynn Markham, land use specialist at UW-Extension, has been studying solar in Wisconsin for 30 years.
“I think the main motivating factor to develop solar has been the cost of solar coming down to be the least expensive source of energy,” Marhkam said.
Markham says there are tradeoffs to every energy source. Wisconsin spends $16 billion a year importing fossil fuels. More solar farms would make energy production both clean and local.
The only downside is solar farms need space, which is a common sticking point in disputes between towns and developers.
Markham says what makes a difference is when companies try to work with the people who live where they’re building.
“Where I’ve seen this happen, having the local offices with staff to answer questions, it’s helped reduce controversy,” Markham said.
When Akron Solar came to Rome in 2023, representatives said that’s what they’d do.
“We want to be an active participant in the community that we’re going to be a part of for the next three decades,” said Danilo Cabrera, development director at NextEra Energy Resources, in a recorded Rome town hall.
Since, relations have soured, and the company hasn’t appeared at any recent meetings.
“Akron has no idea who we are or what we have here,” said resident Donna Hasdal.
Despite that, the company claims to have support in Rome, citing 85 positive online comments.
Opponents point to over 200 negative comments, over 2,000 signatures on a petition to halt construction, and hours of public hearings.
“This is just a smattering of people who live here,” Weingart said, gesturing to the handful of residents at Town Hall. “If you opened up the mic, it’d go on for days.”
“What world are they living in?” said resident Denise Barker. “They were at that set of hearings, and we’ve repetitively let them know that as a community we don’t want them here. How is it they can put that in writing, isn’t that lying to the Public Service Commission?”
The chairs of the Public Service Commission, the state agency that regulates utilities, will decide if Akron can build a solar farm in Rome.
The town can only participate through public comments. Some residents don’t believe their objections are reaching the chairs.
“I asked the lawyer, ‘”Truthfully, are they gonna look at all this testimony?’” said Weingart. “And he said, ‘Truthfully, I can tell you That I will show it to them, I will give it to them, but I can’t guarantee that they’ve read everything and seen everything.”
Many residents expected this, according to land use specialist Markham, the PSC hasn’t rejected any applications for solar farms over the last five years.
Opposition movements in communities including Plover, Morgan, Maple Creek, and Christina have formed against solar projects during that time.
“The PSC has approved 30 out of 30 applications,” Derauf said. “That doesn’t sound like a process that’s working, because it certainly isn’t working here.”
Markham said policies could make the development of solar farms more predictable. Energy companies could be first required to negotiate with communities, as is required for landfills. And standards could spell out how solar farms are built, sited and decommissioned—or, in case of a fire, what materials are inside large batteries.
“We need some standards for large battery storage,” Markham said. “We don’t have any standards for that.”
The Town of Rome’s official position is that the PSC and NextEra are disregarding health and safety, the environment and the local economy.
“You’re flawed. This process is flawed,” said Derauf. “You need to reevaluate it minimally, and understand that this affects communities in a real, hard way.”
“The PSC has ruled 30 to nothing in favor of corporations, energy development, and the communities have scored zero,” said resident Mark Lubecke. “It doesn’t give us a whole lot of hope. But we won’t quit.”
In a statement, the PSC said public comments can affect the application process. For example, concerns raised by residents of Rome about wind erosion will be addressed in the commission’s decision.
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Currently in Rhinelander
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