(SPECIFICALLY SOLAR PANELS FOR THIS BLOG)
I live in North Tawton which is earmarked for what
appears to be the largest solar park development in England at 143 acres (57
hectares) if planning permission is approved once the application is
submitted. The site has been selected because in their words the Cheese
Factory and Haulage Depot give the town an urban/industrial influence.
The land predominantly productive grade 2 and grade 3 agricultural land is
to be used for the installation of solar panels and an Eco park upon which a
small area will be contrived to introduce flora and fauna for the benefit of
schools and tourism and to re-engage the local community with nature. This may
meet the National Curriculum but as we live in rural Devon, we have everything
on our doorstep and surely part of teaching is to go out and seek species not to
be processed around a small engineered area.
As tourists visit the area to walk and enjoy the unspoiled nature of the
countryside, I fail to see how the scale of this development is going to induce
anyone to visit other than natural curiosity and to feel relieved that they live
elsewhere.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change clarified the National Planning
Policy Framework for me with regard to renewables and the selection of land, I
quote:
"Where significant development of agricultural land is
necessary, the Framework expects areas of poorer quality land to be used in
preference to that of higher quality."
Sustainability and Renewable
energy can be incompatible partners.
With requirements placed on local authorities to provide housing and to
be proactive in meeting the 15% of homegrown energy consumption targets from
renewables by 2020 common sense appears to be dissolving. To my mind,
sustainability suggests the ability to produce sufficient for ones needs on an
ongoing basis and to be able to maintain that or enhance production whilst not
depleting resources. As a country we are
overpopulated for the land mass and the requirements for food, fuel and energy
are unlikely to be met within UK provision.
To erect solar parks and housing on agricultural land and to grow crops
for biomass and biofuels depletes our limited resources for food sustainability.
Do not forget that solar parks are not installed solely for the good of the community in which they are located. They are erected by Companies backed by private investors with generous government subsidies. A nod is to made to the locals by providing a small area of biodiversity and to some extent this is contriving the introduction of flora and fauna which have probably been eliminated by the use of herbicides and engineering works to install the panels. There are brownfield sites available if
we must go down the solar route even with the suggestion from Climatologists
that we are in a 10 year cycle of wet summers.
Perhaps it would be prudent if our public servants stipulated that all new build houses are
roofed with solar panels. Central Govt. now
sees the sense in not continuing with more land based wind turbines and surely
the inefficiency of solar parks should be examined. We may be blessed with good
levels of sunshine but we also have high levels of rainfall hence the luxuriant
pastures. As a society we have expectations that are far and above what the
country and the world can comfortably provide and we need to temper our demands
accordingly. I don't have answers but perhaps consideration should be given to
geothermal power and hydro power with a touch of nuclear.
