Lately there has been a surge of proposals for grid-scale solar development in our region, some of which could impact scenic views and popular tourist destinations such as the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Lehigh Gap, and other natural and historic landscapes in the vicinity of Bowmanstown, East Penn Township, and the Lizard Creek watershed.

These attractions help to sustain a multimillion-dollar tourism industry in the region.

Solar fields are a form of visual pollution. Whether on 25 acres or 2500 acres, the effect on the landscape is the same. Visitors do not come here to look at unsightly rows of metallic photovoltaic solar panels, yet many of the proposed solar facilities could be visible from viewpoints along the D & L and Appalachian Trails, and scenic stretches of the Lehigh River.

Because of their proximity to scenic wonders like those mentioned above, Bowmanstown and surrounding areas are in a unique position to protect the region’s viewshed from the visual blight of grid-scale solar energy development.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, less than 1% of electricity generated in Pennsylvania comes from solar energy.

Those responsible for approving these landscape-altering solar projects should ask themselves: Is the extra 1% of electricity added to the grid from solar farms worth more to our communities than the natural beauty that helps to sustain a multimillion-dollar tourism industry in our region?

Juliet Perrin

Albrightsville