Quick Fact About Alternative Energy
Wind and Solar Facts
Before signing any alternative energy contract, make sure you fully understand what’s at stake. These agreements can have serious, long-lasting effects on your property rights, financial stability, and the future of your community. Take the time to examine all the key details—because once the ink is dry, the consequences are yours to live with for decades. Make sure your decision reflects your values and protects your long-term interests.
The Hidden Costs of Wind and Solar Energy Projects
Property Values Are Being Devastated
Recreational Land Market at Risk
In regions like Brown and Coleman counties, land isn't just a financial asset—it represents lifestyle, legacy, and the promise of peace and natural beauty. Historically, approximately 80% of land transactions in these counties involve recreational buyers. These individuals seek out quiet, scenic landscapes to enjoy nature, retire, or invest in long-term value.
Introducing industrial wind projects into these areas delivers a crushing blow to that market. Towering turbines and endless rows of blinking red lights undermine the very qualities that attract buyers in the first place. The result? A steep and immediate reduction in property marketability. These are not theories or isolated incidents—they’re proven realities from across the country.
Once wind farms are introduced into a rural environment, the charm and tranquility are replaced by the hum of industrial machinery, increased traffic, and massive visual obstructions. What once was premium real estate quickly loses its appeal, especially to the buyers who previously drove up land values and stimulated local economies.
Hard Evidence of Property Devaluation
Independent studies and real-world testimony confirm a brutal truth: wind turbines cause property values to plummet. In areas affected by wind development, property values have dropped between 25% and 40%—sometimes even more. Realtors across Brown, Coleman, Comanche, and Mills counties report a sharp decline in buyer interest the moment turbines become visible. Eight out of ten buyers won’t even tour a property if there are wind turbines in view.
Deals are falling through. Potential buyers are walking away. The damage isn’t speculative—it’s happening now. Local brokers are already witnessing sellers struggling to move land they could have sold easily just months ago. In fact, some landowners have seen prospects cancel deals entirely over the mere possibility of a wind project being built nearby.
This decline in real estate interest doesn't just hurt individual landowners—it has ripple effects across the entire local economy. These buyers are the ones who frequent local restaurants, hire local tradespeople, shop at local businesses, and inject tax dollars into municipal budgets. Without them, rural economies suffer.
Source:
Texas Wildlife Association - Impact of Wind Turbines on Market Value
Source:
Solar Projects Bring Similar Economic Harm
Line-of-Sight Damage to Marketability
Though solar installations might cover less vertical space than wind turbines, the negative impacts to neighboring properties remain significant. In a market dominated by recreational buyers, any visual sign of industrial development—especially the expansive sprawl of black solar panels—can destroy the value of an otherwise desirable property.
When buyers come looking for natural views and quiet surroundings, the sight of a solar farm pushes them elsewhere. These are high-income, quality-of-life-motivated purchasers who drive the appreciation of rural land values. When they're gone, so too is the upward trend in property worth.
Recreational Buyers Avoid Industrial Views
What makes this even more alarming is that these solar fields are often located near roadways, on open land, and within sightlines of homes and tracts previously used for retirement or recreation. Brown County, in particular, has seen rapid appreciation in land value thanks to urban buyers investing in rural retreats. But solar installations directly threaten this trend.
Real estate valuation depends largely on comparative sales. When properties near solar fields begin to sell for less, the comps drag down prices county-wide. Appraisers and banks take note. Future buyers hesitate. And existing owners suffer financial losses through no fault of their own.
Even those who aren't directly adjacent to these projects feel the impact. Rural aesthetics, open landscapes, and unbroken views are key components of land value. Remove those—and you remove the premium pricing that communities like ours depend on.
Wind and Solar Projects Are Funded by Your Tax Dollars
Federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) Explained
The renewable energy industry isn’t booming because it’s efficient or market-driven. It’s thriving because it’s heavily subsidized—by your tax dollars. The Production Tax Credit (PTC) is a multi-billion-dollar federal subsidy that has fueled wind energy expansion across the U.S.
By the time the PTC fully phases out, it’s projected to have handed out $48 billion of taxpayer money. And this money isn’t going to local communities or small green startups—it’s going to massive multinational corporations. In fact, just 15 parent companies control over 75% of all PTC eligibility.
And here's the kicker: the PTC actually distorts the electricity market by encouraging wind developers to accept
negative energy prices, which drives up costs for other producers and consumers. So not only are we subsidizing this industry, but we’re also footing the bill for its market interference.
Source:
Texas Public Policy Foundation – Production Tax Credit
Solar Industry’s Dependence on the Investment Tax Credit (ITC)
The solar industry is no different. It exists in Texas almost entirely because of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Without it, there would be virtually no solar farms in this state. The ITC offsets the cost of solar installations so massively that it becomes a golden ticket for large corporations—many of them foreign—to capitalize on land in rural Texas.
This isn’t about clean energy. It’s about chasing tax advantages at the expense of local taxpayers and landowners. And once those panels are in place, the benefits to the community? Practically nonexistent.
Source:
Texas Public Policy Foundation – Renewable Subsidies
Local Abatements Under Chapter 312 & 313: A Silent Giveaway
Wind and solar developers don’t just rely on federal handouts. They also target local governments for
enormous property tax breaks through Texas Chapter 312 and 313. These programs allow corporations to cap the taxable value of their installations at just $10 million—even if the actual cost exceeds $400 million.
What does that mean for our communities? It means we collect pennies on the dollar in tax revenue. Meanwhile, the infrastructure depreciates by up to 80% over 10 years. So when the cap lifts, the equipment isn’t worth taxing. The community never sees the full benefit—and we lose out on money that should be going to our schools, roads, and services.
Source:
Taxpayer Exploitation and Lack of Transparency
Closed-Door Deals Without Public Input
What’s worse? You may never hear about these deals until it’s too late. Under current Texas law, County Commissioners can meet with wind and solar companies in private. They aren’t required to hold public hearings until 30 days before a final vote—and by then, the decision is often made.
This isn’t democracy. It’s corporate deal-making in the shadows. For a decision that could impact Brown and Coleman counties for six decades, the public is being intentionally kept in the dark.
Source:
Texas Public Policy – Tax Abatements and Secrecy
Long-Term Fiscal Harm to Local Communities
The long-term result is a raw deal for taxpayers. Wind and solar corporations reap millions in subsidies and tax savings. Locals are left with depreciating infrastructure, reduced property values, and the burden of maintaining roads, schools, and services with less revenue.
Your tax dollars should support your community—not pad the profits of out-of-state developers. But unless we act, that’s exactly what will continue to happen.
Empty Promises of Job Creation
Job Waivers and Outsourced Labor
One of the most misleading claims from the renewable energy industry is that their projects will create jobs and boost local employment. On the surface, these promises sound appealing. Who wouldn’t want more jobs in their community? But dig deeper, and the truth tells a much different story.
Under Texas property tax codes Chapter 312 and 313, renewable companies are required to commit to full-time, above-average-wage job creation as a condition for receiving tax abatements. However, this requirement is routinely bypassed. According to data from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a staggering 87% of job creation waivers granted under Chapter 313 go to renewable energy companies. That means nearly nine out of ten projects move forward without providing the local jobs they promised.
Once construction begins, the disappointment becomes even more apparent. Rather than hiring local workers, most companies bring in their own crews from outside the area. These are typically specialized contractors with no ties to the local economy. They arrive, build, and leave. When the dust settles, only a handful of maintenance jobs remain—if any.
Source:
Texas Public Policy Foundation – Money for Nothing
Local Communities See No Economic Boost
The short-lived construction boom is just that—short-lived. The few permanent jobs left behind don’t justify the enormous tax incentives these companies receive. More importantly, the lack of local hiring means local families and businesses miss out on economic benefits.
What’s more, renewable companies often get away with over-promising and under-delivering because local governments rarely follow up or enforce job creation clauses. And once those waivers are granted, there’s no turning back. The corporations keep their tax breaks, while the communities are left holding the bag.
In reality, these projects are not designed to provide sustainable economic growth. They are tax avoidance schemes cloaked in the language of progress and sustainability. And without accountability, they will continue to extract value from our communities without giving anything meaningful in return.
Landowners Are Signing Away Property Rights for 60 Years
What the Contracts Really Say
Landowners considering wind or solar leases must read the fine print—and then read it again. These agreements often contain sweeping easement rights that last for up to 60 years . That’s six decades where your control over your land is severely limited or entirely stripped away.
Easements granted to renewable energy companies often cover surface, subsurface, and aerial rights. This means the company can build roads, storage buildings, transmission lines , and install or expand their operations across your land as they see fit. You may not even have a say in where they place equipment or when crews access your property.
And don’t be fooled into thinking solar farms are less invasive. Entire properties can be covered in panels, making the land unusable for other purposes. Crops can’t be planted. Cattle can’t graze. Hunters will go elsewhere. Essentially, your land becomes an industrial site, and you’re left with all the inconveniences—and none of the real control.
The Construction Phase: A Disruptive Reality
Before the turbines go up or the panels are laid down, construction begins—and it’s intense. Massive equipment such as earth movers, cement mixers, cranes, and heavy trucks will flood your property. Temporary concrete plants may be built right on your land. Roads will be carved through pastures. Vegetation will be stripped. Wildlife will scatter.
Landowners have already reported property damage during this phase. From flooding caused by poorly planned clearing to soil erosion and damage to fences, the short-term disruption often leads to long-term consequences. And because the contracts favor the developers, landowners have little recourse if damage occurs.
Once the construction is done, the easement allows crews to come and go without notice, often at any time. Your peace, your privacy, and your property are all at risk.
Negative Environmental Impacts Are Irreversible
Turbine Scale and Visual Pollution
Wind turbines proposed in our counties are massive—600 to 650 feet tall. To put that in perspective, that’s taller than most buildings in Texas. Only nine buildings in the entire state are taller. Now imagine 60 to 80 of these towering structures spread across your landscape.
Each turbine is outfitted with an FAA-mandated hazard light, flashing bright red every few seconds. These lights are visible for 30 miles or more, blanketing rural night skies in artificial, disruptive light. The natural beauty of starlit evenings—gone. Many residents report that they can no longer enjoy their porches, their views, or the peaceful countryside they’ve called home for generations.
Noise Pollution: The Sound That Never Stops
Wind turbines are not silent. Each one is a mechanical generator, and they produce a low-frequency, constant hum that many have compared to a jet engine that never lands. Sound levels can reach 70 decibels, similar to an air conditioning unit or a loud conversation—and it doesn’t stop, day or night.
Sleep disruption is one of the most reported side effects from residents living near turbines. One landowner with turbines 2,000 feet from her home shared that she’s tired all the time because she can’t sleep through the night. And during the day, the noise is just as intrusive—robbing landowners of the very serenity rural life promises.
Solar panels have their own noise concerns. Each one includes a motor that adjusts the panel's direction to follow the sun. On a 200 MW solar farm, with over 1 million panels, that’s 1 million motors clicking and whirring throughout the day.
Clear-Cutting and Habitat Destruction
Solar projects require the clear-cutting of thousands of acres. Native trees, grasses, and ecosystems are destroyed. Natural drainage patterns are altered, increasing the risks of flooding and erosion. Wildlife habitats are decimated, disrupting ecosystems that took centuries to evolve.
Waterways may be rerouted. Roads are built. Assembly yards and staging areas replace fields and forests. The scars left on the land are deep, visible, and often permanent.
Current Income May Be Jeopardized
Disruption of Farming, Ranching, and Leasing
Many landowners in areas targeted for wind and solar development rely on their land for consistent, hard-earned income. Whether through cattle ranching, hay and crop production, or hunting leases, the land is more than scenery—it’s a business. And when renewable energy developers arrive, that business takes a direct hit.
During the construction phase, fences may be torn down to make way for roads, staging areas, or buildings. Equipment may compact soil, alter drainage patterns, or render pasture land unusable. Some landowners have already experienced flooding due to the clearing of vegetation and poorly planned turbine siting. These changes affect not just the aesthetics but the function and productivity of the land.
Crops may be destroyed or impossible to plant during or after construction. Cattle may be at risk due to broken fencing, disturbed grazing areas, or ongoing traffic from maintenance crews. And hunters? They often want no part of land that’s noisy, active, or dotted with industrial structures. What once brought in a few thousand dollars per year in hunting leases can become worthless overnight.
The loss of income is real. And worse, it’s often not recoverable.
Permanent Damage After Construction Ends
Even once the project is completed, the damage is far from over. The presence of massive turbines or an expansive solar array permanently divides land. Underground cabling, above-ground transmission lines, control buildings, and access roads all carve into usable acreage. Farming and ranching activities can become fragmented or outright prohibited in these zones.
Hunters, especially those seeking peace, nature, and escape from city life, are less likely to lease land surrounded by turbines, blinking lights, or solar installations. The experience they seek is gone—and so is the income you used to rely on.
These aren’t temporary setbacks. They are lasting, measurable economic losses to landowners who trusted their land would remain productive and profitable.
Conclusion: Your Land, Your Voice—Act Before It's Too Late
The promises of wind and solar companies are polished and persuasive—jobs, clean energy, progress. But the reality for communities like ours is a different story: lost property value, diminished income, environmental destruction, and zero long-term benefit to those who call this land home.
The profits flow to corporations. The tax breaks are doled out behind closed doors. And the costs—financial, environmental, and emotional—are dumped on the shoulders of landowners and local residents.
This is not about being anti-renewable. This is about transparency, accountability, and protecting our future. If these projects were truly beneficial, they wouldn’t need billions in tax breaks and secret negotiations to push them through.
We must demand better. We must make our voices heard. Speak to your county commissioners. Write letters. Attend meetings. Get informed—and inform others.
Because once these projects are approved, your land, your peace, and your economic future may never be the same.
Education is at the heart of what we do.
Join Us in Protecting the Edwards Plateau
Our community is our greatest strength. Together, we can ensure that the natural beauty and resources of the Edwards Plateau are preserved for generations to come. Whether you're a landowner, an expert in the field, or simply someone who cares about the environment, there are many ways you can get involved.
Ways You Can Get Involved:
Ask Questions: Learn more about the devastating impact of "green" alternative energy projects on land, water and air.
Tint your Ranch Red, Blue or Purple: Join our census and take a stand against the Water and Land Grab! Call your neighbors!
Stay informed: Follow us on social media and our website to stay updated on the latest research and community events.
How You Can Support Us
There are many ways you can help The Edwards Plateau Alliance continue its work:
Donate: Your financial support allows us to continue our educational outreach and advocacy efforts.
Volunteer: Join us in organizing local events or contributing content to our website.
Spread the word: Share our mission with your friends, family, and social media networks to help us reach more people.
Together, we can make a difference and ensure that the Edwards Plateau remains a thriving, vibrant part of Texas for generations to come.
24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Numbers 6:24-26
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