In the Trenches: Solar Projects Rejected From Wyoming to Michigan as Data Center Opposition Goes National
Wyoming's first community-scale solar farm is dead, killed by public outcry in Lincoln County before it could ever break ground. The project's demise was just one of several decisive defeats for solar developers this week, as zoning boards, county commissions, and community foundations across at least six states moved to block or distance themselves from proposed installations. Meanwhile, a new Gallup poll revealed that seven in ten Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their communities — a finding that could reshape the political landscape for the energy-hungry facilities proliferating across the country.
Solar Siting Battles
The week's most definitive rejection came in Cowboy State Daily's report that Lincoln County, Wyoming, officials killed what would have been the state's first community-scale solar farm following strong public opposition. In a state long defined by its fossil fuel economy, the project's collapse underscored the difficulty of establishing even modest solar footholds in energy-producing regions where residents view the technology with deep skepticism.
In Illinois, a proposed 28-acre solar farm by Denver-based Pivot Energy near Rockford met a similar fate. The Winnebago County Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to reject the project, which would have been sited adjacent to Curran's Apple Orchard, a local landmark. Opponents had organized ahead of the hearing, raising concerns about the project's proximity to the popular agritourism destination. The orchard's owners were among those leading the charge against the development, MyStateline reported, and the zoning board's decision came swiftly after hearing public testimony, according to WIFR.
Southern Michigan continued to be a flashpoint for solar opposition, with Chicago-based developer Ranger Power facing resistance on multiple fronts. The Hillsdale Community Foundation announced it would sever its relationship with Ranger Power, ending a four-year arrangement in which the developer funneled $10,000 to $12,000 annually through the foundation to local schools and food pantries. "When it became polarizing and negative, it was time for us to step back," foundation president Sharon Bisher told MLive. The foundation's decision to cut ties removed a key community goodwill channel for the developer amid what the outlet described as "fervent opposition" to its solar project near Jonesville.
Just miles away, Ranger Power's Heartwood Solar II project faced continued delays in Fayette Township, where planning commissioners postponed a decision for the second time during ongoing public hearings. The tensions have grown heated enough that the planning commission chairperson opened the May 7 session by reminding attendees to treat one another with respect, following a written complaint from someone who said they felt physically threatened during a prior hearing, according to the Hillsdale Daily News.
In South Carolina, residents of Cross packed a Berkeley County public hearing to oppose a proposal to lift a moratorium on large-scale solar development that would clear the way for a 1,500-acre solar farm. Attendees met the county panel's deliberations with boos and emotional pleas, though the panel ultimately advanced the plan despite the pushback, ABC News 4 reported. The decision sets up a continued battle as the proposal moves through additional approval stages.
Ohio saw its own solar hearing draw a large crowd in Champaign County, where residents and elected officials turned out to testify before the Ohio Power Siting Board on the proposed Hillclimber Solar Project. Opponents voiced a range of concerns during the proceeding, according to Peak of Ohio.
The challenges facing solar developers in rural America were the subject of an Associated Press feature this week, which examined how hosting solar panels can serve as a financial lifeline for struggling farmers — but that organized community resistance is increasingly making such arrangements difficult to consummate. The report, distributed via MSN, profiled examples from Canfield, Ohio, and other rural communities where neighbors have mobilized against projects that participating landowners view as essential to their economic survival.
Data Center Disputes
Opposition to data centers — driven largely by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence computing — entered a new phase this week with the release of a Gallup poll showing 70 percent of Americans oppose the construction of an AI data center in their local area, with 48 percent saying they are strongly opposed. The survey results provide a national baseline for a sentiment that local officials have been encountering in zoning hearings and board meetings across the country.
In Ohio, the environmental group Save Ohio Parks escalated its campaign against the state's growing data center industry, calling for a moratorium on new facilities. The group is demanding that data center operators meet their energy needs through renewable generation and battery storage rather than drawing from the existing grid, WOSU reported. The push comes as Ohio has emerged as a major data center hub, raising concerns about the strain on electric infrastructure and the potential impacts on nearby parks and natural areas.
In Morgan County, Illinois, commissioners and residents engaged in a pointed debate over how — or whether — to regulate data center development through local zoning. The discussion during a county board meeting reflected a community still grappling with the basic question of what guardrails should exist before such facilities arrive, according to the Journal Courier. No final regulations were adopted, leaving the matter unresolved.
Wind Energy Pushback
In eastern Arizona, a packed Apache County Board of Supervisors meeting was dominated by residents voicing opposition to wind energy development in the region. The hearing drew a standing-room crowd, with speaker after speaker raising objections to proposed wind projects, White Mountain Independent reported. The board took no immediate action, but the intensity of the turnout signaled the depth of resistance developers may face in the rural county.
What to Watch
- Berkeley County, South Carolina: The 1,500-acre solar farm proposal that a county panel advanced despite vocal opposition still faces additional approval steps. Residents who packed the hearing with boos and pleas are expected to continue organizing as the moratorium-lifting measure proceeds through the full county process. (ABC News 4)
- Fayette Township, Michigan: Planning commissioners have now delayed a decision on Ranger Power's Heartwood Solar II project twice, with public hearings producing enough tension that officials have had to issue warnings about decorum. A final vote or further hearings are expected in coming weeks. (Hillsdale Daily News)
- Ohio statewide: Save Ohio Parks' call for a moratorium on new data centers could gain traction as the Gallup poll showing 70 percent national opposition gives advocacy groups new ammunition. Watch for legislative or regulatory responses at the state level. (WOSU)
Several patterns stand out across this week's stories. Developer Ranger Power faced opposition on three separate fronts in southern Michigan — a zoning delay, a community foundation severing ties, and continued public hearing resistance — illustrating how sustained local opposition can erode a project's social infrastructure even before regulators render a verdict. The week also revealed a growing convergence between solar and data center opposition, as communities in Ohio, Illinois, and South Carolina grappled with both technologies simultaneously, often raising overlapping concerns about land use, property values, and strain on local resources. Perhaps most notably, the Gallup data center poll and the AP feature on farmer-hosted solar both suggest that the siting battles playing out in individual counties are symptoms of a broader, national tension between the demand for energy infrastructure and the communities being asked to host it.