Georgia Meyer, at the podium, speaks directly to One Energy Development Director of Project Development Eric Udelhofen, left, during the Town of Hartford Plan Commission’s public hearing on a proposed solar generation facility at the northwest corner of Highway 83 and Waterford Road.
The plot of land located northwest of the Highway 83 and Waterford Road intersection in the Town of Hartford that Glenn and Kristine Huber have applied for a conditional use permit to allow One Energy Development to build a 6-megawatt solar generation facility on 27.5 acres of the over 35-acre plot.
One Energy Development Director of Project Development Eric Udelhofen gives a presentation about the company and the proposed 6-megawatt solar generation facility for the Town of Hartford during the plan commission meeting Tuesday night.
Town of Hartford and other area residents pack the Town of Hartford Plan Commission meeting Tuesday night to let their voices be heard on a proposed 6-megawatt solar generation facility that would be at the northwest corner of the Highway 83 and Waterford Road, if it were to be approved.
Georgia Meyer, at the podium, speaks directly to One Energy Development Director of Project Development Eric Udelhofen, left, during the Town of Hartford Plan Commission’s public hearing on a proposed solar generation facility at the northwest corner of Highway 83 and Waterford Road.
The plot of land located northwest of the Highway 83 and Waterford Road intersection in the Town of Hartford that Glenn and Kristine Huber have applied for a conditional use permit to allow One Energy Development to build a 6-megawatt solar generation facility on 27.5 acres of the over 35-acre plot.
One Energy Development Director of Project Development Eric Udelhofen gives a presentation about the company and the proposed 6-megawatt solar generation facility for the Town of Hartford during the plan commission meeting Tuesday night.
Town of Hartford and other area residents pack the Town of Hartford Plan Commission meeting Tuesday night to let their voices be heard on a proposed 6-megawatt solar generation facility that would be at the northwest corner of the Highway 83 and Waterford Road, if it were to be approved.
TOWN OF HARTFORD — Just over 100 town and area residents packed the Hartford Town Hall Tuesday night for the township’s Plan Commission meeting, with most voicing their opposition to a proposed 6-megawatt solar generation facility that would be located on a plot of land at the northwest intersection of Highway 83 and Waterford Road in the town.
The over 35-acre plot of land is owned by Glenn and Kristine Huber, who have petitioned the town for a conditional use permit to allow Madison-based One Energy Development to build the 6-megawatt solar generation facility on roughly 27.5 acres of that land.
According to One Energy Development Director of Project Development Eric Udelhofen, the facility, the Pike Lake Solar project, would be able to provide power to the equivalent of 1,600 homes. It would connect to the existing three-phase distribution power lines that run along Highway 83, which run into the City of Hartford, via underground lines that would come above ground just under the existing power lines. The power would then feed into the local substation.
The solar panels, which are dual-sided and use single-axis tracking, include a silicon cell placed between tempered glass in an aluminum frame, which do not leak into the ground, according to Udelhofen. He added that they do not use the solar panels that include cadmium, which can leech or leak chemicals into the ground and represent just 5% of the solar market, and that all materials for the project are made in the United States.
The panels would be situated on galvanized steel I-beams and surrounded with over 30 varieties of prairie vegetation, which would cover 27 of the 27.5 acres. Udelhofen added that the company does allow for farming of certain crops on their solar facility, if a farmer is willing to do so, and that they allow for targeted grazing opportunities for sheep, and that he would look into doing either of these for the Pike Lake Solar project.
In the middle of the facility is where the inverters and transformers would be located. According to Udelhofen, they are far enough away from the edges of the proposed solar facility that they meet the state standard of 45 decibels at the project boundary.
There would also be an 8-foot high agricultural-style fence around the facility, with screening, made up of pine trees and shrubs, along the entire eastern side of the project area (840 feet) that faces Highway 83 and along 400 feet of the southern side of the project area (only shrubs).
He added that there would be no grading done on the land and geotextile fabric would be used below all access drives, so that after the lease is up the land can return to agricultural use.
The lease for the project would run 30 years, with two 10-year options to bring the total to 50 years potentially, according to Udelhofen. He added that One Energy Development would have a decommission plan in place for the removal of the materials either after the lease is up or earlier, if need be, and that either One Energy Development (if they chose to just sell the produced power) or the operating utility (if the facility is sold to the utility) would have money set aside for removal of materials.
Additionally, the Town of Hartford would receive $13,000 yearly (more than $390,000 over 30-plus years) and Washington County would receive $17,000 yearly (more than $510,000 over 30-plus years) in utility aid payments as part of the project.
Community voices opposition
Following Udelhofen’s presentation on the Pike Lake Solar project, Town of Hartford residents and some surrounding community members were given the chance to make their voices heard, with most being in opposition of the project.
The first to speak during the hearing was Gary Heinitz, who said he has solar panels himself on his home, he just doesn’t want to see it used on farmland.
“I have solar at my house and at my cabin. It works, I’m not against solar, but it is not extremely efficient,” said Heinitz. “So, shouldn’t we be putting these solar panels on existing places — like parking lots, large buildings or build them in like they are doing with large homes now — instead of taking away our farmland.”
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According to Udelhofen, a solar facility creates 40% more energy when out in a field compared to when on a roof or used above parking lots, which is due to the ability to use single-axis tracking in a field (which allows the panels to follow the sun for maximum production), whereas on a roof or above a parking lot the panels have to be in a fixed position.
“The technology just isn’t there yet,” said Udelhofen.
He added that the cost to add solar to rooftops is also 50% higher than in a field, and that with Wisconsin farmers selling 37% of corn for ethanol production, solar panels are a more efficient use of the space since it is more efficient than ethanol.
“Farmers are already in the energy business in this state,” said Udelhofen. “Highly-efficient single-axis tracking solar sites like this generate 100 times more energy than corn ethanol.”
Some of the residents who spoke, including Nick Jovanovich, said they didn’t believe that the inverters and transformers would be quiet enough to barely be heard at the project boundary.
According to Jovanovich, he has family in Virginia and they can hear the noise from a solar facility from a mile away.
“We were outside in the spring on a calm night, and I asked, ‘what did you guys do, get an expressway?’ and they said, ‘no, it’s the inverters from the solar farm,” said Jovanovich. “And, it’s almost a mile away.”
He added that he doesn’t believe the project would raise anyone’s property value, which One Energy Development said it could, according to studies done in 2024 and 2025 on property values for residences in the area of a solar facility.
“I hardly believe this is either going to raise anybody’s property value or not be a noise impact at all,” said Jovanovich.
Udelhofen offered to have any residents worried about noise impacts to come out to one of their sites, which there is one in Jackson, to see the noise level there.
“Come visit one of our sites, or we also do modeling to make sure there is … that noise threshold of 45 decibels at the project fence,” said Udelhofen.
Other residents echoed Heinitz, adding that they simply just didn’t want them to take up farmland.
“This is beautiful Hartford, I don’t want to see (a solar facility) in my backyard,” said Georgia Meyer. “I drive this, I live here, I run it, I bike it, I go up in Holy Hill and I’m going to look off the tower and see more oceans of solar panels. When I work in Lomira, that was the saddest sight in the world. When I cross the bridge in Dubuque and I see oceans of solar panels, I’m very disappointed.”
“I think this is a bad idea for our community and I hope you do not give them a permit,” said Heinitz.
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