Representation by Julian Campbell
- Date submitted
- 16 March 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Size and Concentration. The proposed solar farm is too large and too concentrated, and as such will fundamentally change the nature of the local environment, from the rural environment we experience today, to a predominantly industrial environment. The current National Planning Policy for Renewable Technology Infrastructure assumes a typical Solar farm will be between 125 and 200 acres. This proposal is at least ten times that size and as such its impact is fundamentally different to smaller scale developments, especially as it is so concentrated and sited close to local villages, roads and footpaths. Screening. While Sunnica has proposed some screening, given the rolling nature of the landscape this can only partially hide the huge number of solar panels. The larger battery storage facilities will be impossible to screen. Even where screening is proposed, this will be achieved by planting new vegetation which will take up to 15 years to become fully established and even then, will only be fully effective in summer when the vegetation is in leaf. Loss of Productive Agricultural Land. The proposed Solar Farm means taking a massive amount (circa 2,500 acres) of productive agricultural land out of use. As the UK is already a net importer of food, any loss of domestic food production is likely to have to be made up by importing food, with negative implications for greenhouse gas emissions due to increased food miles and a reduction in food security. Assessment of Impact on Agricultural Output. The Sunnica grading the soil characteristics is based on land quality without irrigation. According to the Sunnica “Soils and Agriculture Baseline Report” most of the agricultural land covered by this proposal is currently successfully irrigated on a sustainable basis. This means that output is much higher than the soil grading would indicate and the potential impact on agricultural output has been significantly underestimated. Necessity. The current National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure states that “…applicants should explain their choice of site, noting the preference for development to be on brownfield and non-agricultural land”. Sunnica has not demonstrated that Solar PV at this scale, especially on agricultural land, is necessary to meet future UK energy needs, and that these could not be met by using existing brownfield and non-agricultural locations. Battery Technology. The Li-Ion battery technology proposed by Sunnica presents a significant health and safety risk to residents in the case of an uncontained battery fire. While Sunnica have presented a battery safety management plan I believe this this to be inadequate. Optimisation. While solar generated electricity has a part to play in a future renewable energy mix, solar generation is a poor fit to the current demand profile for electricity, both on a daily and annual basis. Wind generation is a much better fit to the current and future demand profile for electricity. Excessive investment in solar PV could drive out investment in wind generation (and other green generation technologies) resulting in a sub-optimal overall deployment of green energy generation.