PENNSDALE — A proposed solar farm of nearly 6,000 glass panels situated along Quaker Church Road has received conditional approval.

That hasn’t stopped several residents who signed petitions against the plan by Solar Renewable Energy of Mechanicsburg, who would link the solar-power source to PPL to customers.

Residents, such as Paul Kramer, and others as a group, have engaged a law firm to appeal and try to overturn the special exception decision by the Muncy Township Zoning Hearing Board in Lycoming County Court.

The company was granted “conditional” zoning approval in a recent decision on a special exception request — provided it adjusts its setback and meets certain conditions.

SRE seeks installation of a 2.49 megawatt ground-mounted system on 8 acres. That is 5,700 ground-mounted solar panels. In all, the property consists of close to 88 acres and is located in the Countryside Zoning District. The land owner is Rennel W. Rodarmel of Montoursville.

So far, about 20 resident-taxpayers have opposed the project, expressing concerns such as potentially declining property values in the area following the installation, disruption and contamination of existing aquifers that supply wells of homes adjacent to the site, stormwater runoff from the disturbance of existing land, glare and other safety concerns relative to site emergencies post-activation, according to interviews and a statement from the residents.

During the zoning hearing board meeting, the residents say, in at least one exhibit provided by the applicant, incorrect and/or missing adjacent property identification was missing, despite testimony by the engineering firm responsible for the drawings presented that evening.

Kramer, who said he lives across from the proposed solar panel farm, said he is concerned about the environmental impacts and said the company solicitor seemed a bit “crass” at the hearing.

During the hearing, Charlie Bush asked about such setback requirements, any health risks and the possibility of damage to wildlife.

Alex Reis asked about what he called the “functional obsolescence of the project,” and whether the applicant had conducted an economic impact study.

Reis also asked if the applicant looked at the drainage on the property, its effect on wildlife and effect the project will have on the history and value of the village of Pennsdale, its water table and future development.

Fred Harris asked what the benefit was for township residents. Harris asked if the applicant got a percolation test.

Lawrence Spatz presented a petition signed by neighboring property owners.

Scott Hummel said the decibel levels will require ear plugs. Hummel also asked about runoff issues, glare levels and property inspections.

Joseph Perry asked about the nearby houses on wells and water contamination.

Perry also inquired about the project’s level of soil disturbance and whether this requires a stormwater management plan given the condition of the soil on the property, especially after heavy rains.

Those at the hearing on behalf of the applicant included legal counsel, a partial company owner and manager, a land surveyor and a senior analyst.

The company officials said they understood the board could impose conditions on its proposed project.

The company manager said the plan is for the project to connect to the adjacent PPL Electric Utilities Corp. power line and that the utility has approved the three-phase power connection.

Additionally, the applicants’ representatives said they anticipated receiving interconnection approval from the state Public Utilities Commission in the next two months.

When the question of glare arose the company manager said that each panel has an anti-reflective coating.

When a question of whether the sale of the property was conditioned on the approval of the applicant’s special exception request, that was affirmed by the manager.

The manager noted there is an existing PPL utility pole on the site. A copy of PPL approval will be provided to the board. To a question of what will be done with the remaining acreage, the applicants said there are no plans, the hearing testimony stated.

The firm’s attorney presented a PPL Distribution Interconnection Impact Review with a 12- to 18-month upgrade timeline.

As for that, a question was asked if there was a timeframe for PPL to complete it, and that questioner was told that there was not.

A question was asked if there will be any power lines under the ground, and it was noted that all PPL wiring will be above ground.

Additionally, there will be no new poles inside or outside the project, all designs will be to township specifications and the panels are rated for 130-mile-per-hour winds.

A question was asked about the solar panels arcing and risk of fire and the applicant manager said he had not heard of any fires but noted inverters have fuses.

The system monitoring the project, which is done remotely from the applicant’s main offices in Mechanicsburg, is updated every 15 minutes, the company official said.

A question was asked as to the maximum temperature of the panels and answered as not being any more than paved blacktop, or 100 to 110 degrees.

Questions on voltage were presented as were whether there would be any employees on site and there will be none.

The company officials said they would rely on the local fire company to implement a contingency plan in the event of an emergency.

The grass under the panels will not die and a state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources search into the record also indicated no impact to grass.

A question was raised as to the panels’ toxicity and they have a 0.1% toxicity based on the manufacturer.

A question was broached about the fencing and the company is willing to be flexible on the type and height of the fence but proposed installing cattle fencing.

A question was asked about cancer risks to which the manager responded that there is no evidence that levels of electromagnetic field measurable at industry-standard levels (causes cancer).

The applicant must amend the current design plans as the setback was less than the minimum with the array in its current location, according to the surveyor.

Impact potential on wetlands was brought up, with a township official saying he was concerned the project will likely damage the farm drain trenches.

A noise control engineer testified entering into the record.

“It is not just a fight of seven or eight homeowners,” Kramer said. “It’s not just us.”

“These are going everywhere,” he said.

As an example, for many years, a large solar panel farm has provided power to the East Lycoming School District in Wolf Township just off Route 405.