-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
The proposed Princess City Solar project is slated to cover roughly 900 acres around the Pocahontas County/Calhoun County line. Solar panels like these will generate up to 156 megawatts of electricity, if the solar project moves forward.

FONDA — Downtown Fonda isn’t usually a busy place on a Tuesday evening in the winter, but things were different on Jan. 28.

Representatives from Princess City Solar gathered at a building across from the bank to host an open house. They shared information about this proposed solar energy project, which is slated to cover roughly 850 to 900 acres around the Pocahontas County/Calhoun County line.

“This project can be incredibly transformational for landowners who partner with us,” said Ben Metcalf, vice president of project development for TED Renewables. “It can provide a long-term income stream that can make the difference for passing along the farm to future generations.”

County supervisors, farmers, landowners and other local residents attended the open house in Fonda. Some have expressed a variety of opinions regarding Princess City Solar, from interest and support to strong opposition.

“This proposed solar project is encroaching close to where I live,” said Jessica Johnson, who built a new house in the area three years ago. “Not once has anyone from their company come to talk with me. It’s like they’ve avoided me intentionally.”

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Members of the public, including county supervisors, farmers, landowners and other area residents, visited with representatives of TED Renewables during an open house/informational meeting in downtown Fonda on Jan. 28. Local residents have a variety of opinions, from interest in this proposed solar project to strong opposition.

The proposed solar farm is projected to generate up to 156 megawatts of electricity (enough to power roughly 27,000 homes annually) if the project moves forward. Roughly half of this utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) project would be built in Calhoun County, and 50% would be built in Pocahontas County. Princess City Solar promotional materials state that the project will generate clean, affordable energy and provide estimated annual tax revenues of $175,000.

Princess City Solar is a project of Tyr Energy Development Renewables, LLC (“TED Renewables”), a wholly-owned affiliate of Tyr Energy. Based in the Kansas City, Missouri, area, Tyr Energy develops low-carbon energy resources. Tyr Energy represents the North American cornerstone of the ITOCHU Corporation’s global electric power strategy. Based in Tokyo, Japan, the ITOCHU Corporation is ranked among the Fortune Global 100 (the top 100 largest companies worldwide, based on their annual revenue).

“Solar is very reliable and predictable,” said Metcalf, noting that TED Renewables has decades of weather data that confirm this. “It’s a good way to keep energy prices low.”

“It seems crazy to take prime farm ground out of production”

Building a large-scale solar project like this requires a lengthy approval process before any construction begins. TED Renewables has been working with Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the electric grid operator for the central United States. MISO ensures power flows reliably and affordably across 15 states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Ben Metcalf, vice president of development for TED Renewables, showed what the solar panels will look like for a proposed solar project for northern Calhoun County/southern Pocahontas County.

MISO has a generator interconnection process that vets and approves the addition of new energy sources into the MISO-controlled transmission network. It’s a non-discriminatory access system, open to generators within the MISO territory.

“This project would be a private power plant,” said Metcalf, referring to Princess City Solar, which applied to the MISO interconnection queue cycle in 2022.

If approved, the Princess City Solar project likely wouldn’t be constructed until 2028, 2029, or 2030, Metcalf added. The lifecycle of this solar project is roughly 40 years from the date of commercial operation, according to Princess City Solar’s promotional literature.

“This project has been in the works for a few years, but I just started hearing about it in April 2024,” said Kevin Wells, a local corn, soybean and hog producer who opposes the proposed solar project. “This should have been brought to light much sooner. If this becomes a reality, I’ll be surrounded by 400 acres of solar panels on prime farm ground.”

The more Wells learned about the solar project, the more his concerns grew, especially when it became clear at least one Pocahontas County supervisor/local landowner stands to become one of the biggest financial beneficiaries by partnering with Princess City Solar, he said.

“I’m also concerned about what this solar project will do to our property values, how it may impact drainage tile lines in the fields, the visual effects of all those thousands of solar panels, and the fact that most of the money generated by a project like this leaves the local area and the state of Iowa. It seems crazy to take prime farm ground out of production for this.”

Wells ran for Pocahontas County supervisor in 2024 to call attention to the Princess City Solar project. While he didn’t win, he continues to talk with residents about the ramifications of this proposed solar project.

“No one has called me or told me, ‘I don’t know why you’re fighting this so hard,'” he said. “No one is telling me this project is a good thing.”

Controversy regarding renewable energy projects in rural America is growing, according to Robert Bryce, a reporter, author, filmmaker, and public speaker who has been writing about energy, power, and politics for more than 30 years. Since 2015, Bryce has been documenting the backlash in rural America against the encroachment of wind and solar projects through the Renewable Rejection Database (robertbryce.com/renewable-rejection-database), a free, searchable, online resource. During the past decade, Bryce has documented 771 rejections or restrictions of solar and wind projects in communities from Maine to Hawaii.

“The Renewable Rejection Database provides clear proof that land-use conflicts are the binding constraint on the expansion of wind and solar in the U.S.,” Bryce said. “These hundreds of examples show that despite the never-ending hype about wind and solar that we hear from academics, climate activists and legacy media outlets, those forms of weather-dependent power generation cannot — will not — ever be able to provide the vast amounts of reliable electricity our economy needs. Why not? There isn’t enough available land.”

Johnson is concerned that taking farmland out of production for large-scale solar projects will not only impact farmers, but the global food supply. “I’m not against solar or wind energy, but I am against these companies creating bigger problems that will need to be solved. There are a lot of things about Princess City Solar’s fancy sales pitch that don’t add up.”

Cerro Gordo County supervisors adopt new ordinance

While Princess City Solar representatives declined to share specifics about the payments they are offering landowners who want to partner with the company, the payment structure is included in contracts for 30-year leases.

“We’re working with seven families right now,” Metcalf noted.

Wells and Johnson are urging local officials and area residents to educate themselves about renewable energy projects like Princess City Solar. Wells also encourages people to search online for the YouTube video “Ranger Power — Michigan site visited by Iowa Farm,” which shows utility-scale solar facilities in Shiawassee County, Michigan.

In addition, concerned citizens are watching what elected officials in other parts of Iowa are doing regarding renewable energy. Wells and Johnson applaud the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors, who recently adopted an ordinance to restrict new construction of wind and solar energy projects on land zoned for agriculture use in rural parts of this northern Iowa county.

“I believe there is one Pocahontas County supervisor who is local to Fonda who is being driven by monetary gain only regarding this proposed solar project in our area,” Johnson said. “It’s time to start asking the hard questions. We’re not backing down without a fight.”