Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I respectfully disagree with Mr. Weller’s letter to the editor (“Solar facility would be an eyesore,” Reader’s Write, Jan. 26) regarding the proposed solar facility for Gloucester County. As a teacher in Gloucester schools and someone who has made this community my home for over 30 years, I believe it would be a shame for our community to pass up the opportunities this site could provide.

No matter which end of the political spectrum one occupies, solar energy plays a key role in our nation’s future as part of the “all of the above” approach to ensuring energy security. Gloucester County schools are eager to prepare our students for the 21st century jobs that await them. What an advantage it would be to have a solar farm in our backyard that could provide real-world, hands-on experiences in a field that is guaranteed to grow in the years ahead and create a demand for skilled labor. As our representatives negotiate with the company, I imagine opportunities for our students to access and learn about this technology could be a condition of the agreement.  

As someone who drives past the proposed site twice every day, I certainly would not perceive the solar panels as an eyesore, especially since part of the agreement is to plant trees between the farm and the street. The picture Mr. Weller paints is a bit hyperbolic. His other concerns about are also issues that could be addressed through skilled negotiation with the solar firm.

I do agree with Mr. Weller that Gloucester needs to be sensible about the future and maintain the quality of life for its residents. I disagree with his vision for achieving that. Let’s not make Gloucester another community that rejects solar energy. Let’s signal to our children and to the surrounding region that Gloucester is part of a sustainable, sensible, promising future.

Michael Cole

Dutton, Va.