Opposition

There is good news and bad news on the opposition front. The bad news is that the opposition to the project seems broad, organized, and relatively sophisticated. The good news is that they have poor SEO practices, so Vesper can tailor an SEO and paid advertisement strategy that elevates positive solar messaging over the opposition’s messaging. It appears that these groups have been successful at influencing the township supervisors to change the zoning ordinance to bar solar from being developed on agricultural land. And they are aligning their issue with the township supervisors by putting up yard signs that claim to support the supervisors position. To make progress on this front, Vesper needs to create a clear wedge and differentiations between the hardline position of the anti-solar opposition and the moderate, reasonable position of other township and county residents—which is that a conditional use permit for developing solar energy would come with clear conditions to ensure agricultural land is protected and that the majority of residents want to see the economic development. The supervisors need to understand that this group does not represent the majority of residents and that its position is radical.

• PA 4 Responsible Solar: An anti-solar activist group that is organized around opposition the Firefly Solar Project, and presumably other projects that attempt to build in the region. While this group seems to have some legitimate concerns that are shared across many communities with solar development prospects, this group does not appear constructive or open to persuasion based on the language and arguments they make on their website. They are very clearly anti-development. This group on it’s face appears sophisticated enough that it likely received outside guidance. For example, they use terms like “industrial solar” which has been commonly used in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region; they recognize that “property rights” are a common winning issue for developers, though they ascribe malicious motive; and they have a clear political strategy that aligns with the reforms made to the zoning ordinance in 2021. Stuart Day, one of the group’s leaders, is directly connected to the initiative to bar solar from agriculture land. Day, a Keller Williams real estate agent; shared PA4ResponsibleSolar’s website link on a Facebook Group called Stop Solar Farms which is home to many solar opponents across states.