Are any of you guilty of nimbyism - objecting to solar farms?

Jaxjacky

No problem here for solar farms, we need to look to the future. We quite like the wind turbines, they’re rather majestic, had them near us in France.

Near where I live a large solar farm has been built between the autoroute and a railway line, on land belonging to the commune so the residents in that commune should benefit financially from rent.

A large supermarket near me has built a large area of panels over part of its car park. It's like a large roof which has also provided shelter from the weather. Surely there can be no reason for the large supermarkets in the UK to do the same?

The French are still offering grants for solar panels and also insulation. As a result we are bombarded by phone calls from companies trying to sell them to us. Also, I think that you have to use certain companies and because they know that one is likely to get a grant, the price goes up.

There is one large 200+ acre solar farm close to town but it’s hardly visible because of its location, I don’t have any objection to them or wind turbines as long as I can’t hear them it’s fine.

Although off shore wind is more expensive to install it is more efficient because wind speed is more consistent so it’s highly likely that will be the direction that gets developed.

The other factor is what type of land people want to develop a solar farm on. High quality agricultural land should not be used for solar farms, only land that’s unsuitable for crops.

I would have no objection to solar or wind farms near me. I actually think the wind turbines are quite beautiful. I would, however, have an issue with a nuclear power plant near my home.

MaizieD

ixion

Are wind farms as viable/profitable when built off shore, does anyone know?
Presumably not in the construction, but they are an alternative, presumably?
Would upset fewer people (Sorry, sea birds?)

I would imagine they'd be quite a challenge, given the behaviour of sea waters... waves, you know...

But there's nothing to stop them being built on reservoirs.

We have a big wind farm off the south coast. Been operating for maybe 5+ years and is absolutely fine, with no reported issues as far as I am aware. It serves a big area.

I have always been opposed to nuclear power stations, and hearing news about Ukraine makes me even more worried about having them. It sounds to me that even if they are safe to operate if they are operated properly, if the processes are interrupted as they are being in Ukraine by the Russians, they could become appallingly dangerous to the area around them.

Would it not be better to ensure that all new-build houses and commercial property were fitted with solar panels, give good subsidies for households, landlords, businesses to fit them to existing properties rather than use up what might be usable agricultural land?

Whitewavemark2

MaizieD

ixion

Are wind farms as viable/profitable when built off shore, does anyone know?
Presumably not in the construction, but they are an alternative, presumably?
Would upset fewer people (Sorry, sea birds?)

I would imagine they'd be quite a challenge, given the behaviour of sea waters... waves, you know...

But there's nothing to stop them being built on reservoirs.

We have a big wind farm off the south coast. Been operating for maybe 5+ years and is absolutely fine, with no reported issues as far as I am aware. It serves a big area.

I’ve been thinking about what you said about reservoirs MaizieD. I wonder if they don’t do that because they are usually built in valleys so the wind power wouldn’t be viable? If it’s feasible it sounds like a good idea to sweat the assets.

choughdancer

I have always been opposed to nuclear power stations, and hearing news about Ukraine makes me even more worried about having them. It sounds to me that even if they are safe to operate if they are operated properly, if the processes are interrupted as they are being in Ukraine by the Russians, they could become appallingly dangerous to the area around them.

I absolutely agree and have long been against them, but how else can we be energy self-sufficient? I really don't think solar and wind are going to provide enough reliable energy for 68 million people and even more people with each passing year.

Chestnut

choughdancer

I have always been opposed to nuclear power stations, and hearing news about Ukraine makes me even more worried about having them. It sounds to me that even if they are safe to operate if they are operated properly, if the processes are interrupted as they are being in Ukraine by the Russians, they could become appallingly dangerous to the area around them.

I absolutely agree and have long been against them, but how else can we be energy self-sufficient? I really don't think solar and wind are going to provide enough reliable energy for 68 million people and even more people with each passing year.

There’s also hydroelectric power. A Severn Barrage would generate 10% of the UKs total electricity requirements, as one example.

Casdon

Whitewavemark2

MaizieD

ixion

Are wind farms as viable/profitable when built off shore, does anyone know?
Presumably not in the construction, but they are an alternative, presumably?
Would upset fewer people (Sorry, sea birds?)

I would imagine they'd be quite a challenge, given the behaviour of sea waters... waves, you know...

But there's nothing to stop them being built on reservoirs.

We have a big wind farm off the south coast. Been operating for maybe 5+ years and is absolutely fine, with no reported issues as far as I am aware. It serves a big area.

I’ve been thinking about what you said about reservoirs MaizieD. I wonder if they don’t do that because they are usually built in valleys so the wind power wouldn’t be viable? If it’s feasible it sounds like a good idea to sweat the assets.

But I was talking about solar PV panels, Wwmk2. I hadn't read ixion's post properly And they hadn't realised we were talking about solar farms, not wind farms.

It was a bit of a bizarre mix up, really. I was visualising an array of solar panels being tossed around by 15' waves during a storm...

I think we already have a reservoir or two with a solar 'farm' on them.

ixion

Are wind farms as viable/profitable when built off shore, does anyone know?
Presumably not in the construction, but they are an alternative, presumably?
Would upset fewer people (Sorry, sea birds?)

They adversely affect marine life too. They interfere with the sonar abilities of whales, dolphins, porpoises Often confusing them to such a degree that they end up in dangerous situations as they lose their way.

Whichever source of energy there is always a price to pay. There is no easy solution for keeping 68 million people warm and connected online.

I’d rather have a solar farm in the field behind my house than fracking in the area.

Callistemon21

Would it not be better to ensure that all new-build houses and commercial property were fitted with solar panels, give good subsidies for households, landlords, businesses to fit them to existing properties rather than use up what might be usable agricultural land?

Id think that doing this in addition to solar farms is the way to go

Solar panels and wind farms, and other kinds of natural energy are absolutely the way forward in my opinion. I don't mind them near to me. Better than living next to a nuclear power station. More investment is needed in the sun and the wind to power us.

Ixin the profitability or otherwise of wind farms depends on how much they are being paid for each unit of electricity. Anything is profitable if the price is high enough. In fact the industry is still subsidiesd through a complicated system described here www.ft.com/content/1edba6f4-295e-44b8-9d97-82bc4d3c04ec

DH has been working in the offshore wind industry for 20 years and he thinks that the life of a wind turbine offshore may be shorter than believed, for technical and engineering reasons, so the cost of the power may be even more than expected.

The biggest problem is that if too much of our power comes from weather dependent resources, we may find that at times demand for power will exceed supply and parts of the national grid will need to shut down over varying size areas in the UK. Until large scale battery technology improves and can be made safe, or other ways are found to store surplus power, the only way to assure the imdustry can meet the growing demand for power is firstly through tidal power, initially building the tidal barrage power stations, planned some years ago for the Bristol Channel, and reviving the Severn Barrage. Tidal barrages require very high tidal rise and fall, in the UK, this means the Bristol channel, tidal power, which looks as if, after many decades of disappoinment , it may just be becoming commercially possible and finally nuclear, despite its downsides.

Ah, I get it, MOnica!
Thank you so much for a detailed and patient explanation !

What a positive and (mostly) unanimous thread!

IMO, the environmental impact of solar farms needs to be assessed. No point in having solar farms to "save the environment" if their installation does more harm that good. That said, I strongly believe in having as many PV panels as we can manage.

The idea that renewable energy is not consistent is deceptive. Obviously there is no solar energy at night. Well, not much! But renewables includes solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, hydro...I'm sure there are others I haven't thought of. We need to have a system that forecasts usage, which we already have, and then forecasts which systems we need to have online to compensate for any shortfall in (e.g.) solar.

The problem with fracking is not just with the way that fracking itself works, its that the products of fracking are oil and gas. So they are carbon-heavy. The problem with nuclear, despite what any body tells you, is that not only are the reactors inherently dangerous - see the Ukraine comment above - but we have no idea how to manage the by products and they remain radioactive for 10s of thousands of years. So exchanging damaging carbon for even more damaging uranium is typical of the short term solutions today's governments think will solve their problems.

This is interesting. I don't think anyone has posted any info about it so far, apologies if I am repeating things.

bigissue.com/news/environment/seagreen-scotland-new-wind-farm-energy-bills/

tidal power

DH has just been expounding the possibilities and benefits of tidal energy here. I was the only one around to listen, unfortunately.

MaizieD

I rather think that people objecting to solar farms on fields are doing so on aesthetic rather than environmental grounds. As far ass I'm aware though don't pose an environmental challenge.

Though I agree that, as I said earlier, solar PV panels can go just about anywhere.

Certainly not my case. My objection is definitely on environmental grounds, bird and other wildlife habitat- makes absolutely no sense as long as we have billions of m2 of industrial, farming, public, private, etc, of roof surface.

And yes, it is ugly and ruins the countryside- but that is secondary to above.

makes absolutely no sense as long as we have billions of m2 of industrial, farming, public, private, etc, of roof surface.

Yes, I agree.

Those huge warehouses being built all over the place ruin the countryside, they should all be covered with solar panels. As said, so should shopping centres, factories, schools, etc, etc, and all new built homes, by Law.

Chestnut

Whichever source of energy there is always a price to pay. There is no easy solution for keeping 68 million people warm and connected online.

it is not easy, that is clear. But we should address the humongous waste going on daily in industry, business, shops, homes, streets, etc. As we recycling, number one is REDUCE first.