SkyPower Solar farm proposals for Sudbury get cool reception

Morning North4:52Large solar farm projects in the works for Sudbury

CBC reporter Megan Thomas joined us in studio with a look at some of the solar farm projects proposed for rural areas of Greater Sudbury. Toronto based SkyPower is looking at four properties to develop some large scale solar farms.A proposal for a several large solar farms in rural areas of Sudbury receiveda cool reception at a community meeting in Valley East.

The Toronto-based company SkyPower wants to install four large-scale solar farms: two in the Chelmsford area and two in the Valley.

• SkyPower proposes four commercial solar projects in Sudbury

Some people who live near theproposed projectsraisedconcerns about the potential loss of forest and wetlands at a public consultationmeeting the company heldat the Valley East library on Thursday.

Kim Bertrand owns Wagon Wheel Ranch,next door to to the proposed solar farm on Kenneth Drive in Val Therese.

She is concerned solar panels arenotwhat people wantto look at when they pay to take a horseback ride at the ranch.

"So, as we are going to be going down the trail, the customers will just look over to the right and they will see all of these solar panels surrounded by fencing and barbed wire," she said.

"That is not what we want our customers to see, as far as [showcasing]the beauty of northern Ontario that we have."

Bertrandthinks the location on Kenneth Drive may not be the right choice for a large-scale operation.

"There is no way that I am opposed to solar farms. I am opposed to it possibly affecting my livelihood," she said.

"I just feel that there are more appropriate, better sites that they could be looking at."

SkyPower is still in the community consultation phase for its proposed solar projects.It still needs to win contracts from the province for the electricity before any of the four projects become a reality.

Proposed locations for the solar farms can be found in the photogallery below: