Mahossive solar farm

[manthing]

At a time when we should be encouraging farmers to grow good quality home produced food, and cutting food miles, someone thinks this is a good idea.

https://www.farminguk.com/news/blenheim-estate-proposes-to-build-solar-farm-on-1-000ha-of-farmland_61444.html

[Dave-G]

I'd rather more of that than continue buying electricity from the abroad to be fair - and not have it potentially held to ransom. We ought to get back to being a self sufficient country.

[Scully]

Money, that’s what it’s all about. If it wasn’t it wouldn't be happening. 
A few years ago landowners and farmers were being paid eye watering amounts of money to instal wind turbines on their land. Maybe they still are? 🤷‍♂️

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Best line in the article was;

"Following the end of the solar farm's operation, the equipment would be removed and the site returned to agricultural use, Blenheim Estate said."

[12gauge82]

Solar is brilliant technology. But its ridiculous to cover green space with them, there's more than enough space on people's houses for panels without loosing arable, grazing or countryside for panels. The government should be incentivising homeowners. 

[8 shot]

50 minutes ago, Dave-G said:

I'd rather more of that than continue buying electricity from the abroad to be fair - and not have it potentially held to ransom.

So then held to ransom for substandard food, very logical.

[Dougy]

14 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

Solar is brilliant technology. But its ridiculous to cover green space with them, there's more than enough space on people's houses for panels without loosing arable, grazing or countryside for panels. The government should be incentivising homeowners. 

They did but that creates its own problems, the panels belong to the supplying company and then the house sale has caveats due to contracts with the solar panel owners. 

If the government are to do that they need to look at how its controlled.

[Keith 66]

A farmer local to us has been looking to have a solar farm built on his land in two locations.

Yet just a couple of miles away are the distribution sheds of Thames gateway container port.

When you drive our motorway network you will see vast distribution centres all over the place, in the midlands there are scores of them covering many thousands of acres.

Surely this is the right place for a solar farm, bung it on the roof! Hey you could even make it a condition of planning permission.

Too simple to plaster over a green field.

[Yellow Bear]

3 minutes ago, Keith 66 said:

When you drive our motorway network you will see vast distribution centres all over the place, in the midlands there are scores of them covering many thousands of acres.

Surely this is the right place for a solar farm, bung it on the roof! Hey you could even make it a condition of planning permission.

Too simple to plaster over a green field.

This^^^^

[12gauge82]

22 minutes ago, Dougy said:

They did but that creates its own problems, the panels belong to the supplying company and then the house sale has caveats due to contracts with the solar panel owners. 

If the government are to do that they need to look at how its controlled.

Absolutely, I wasn't going to get into that, but effectively it was set up to allow big buisness to capitalise on what should have been a benefit to individuals. Usable government inefficientcy. 

[oldypigeonpopper]

I see that on local news, going to supply 300,000 homes and make the Duke a few £s richer 🤔🙄

39 minutes ago, Keith 66 said:

A farmer local to us has been looking to have a solar farm built on his land in two locations.

Yet just a couple of miles away are the distribution sheds of Thames gateway container port.

When you drive our motorway network you will see vast distribution centres all over the place, in the midlands there are scores of them covering many thousands of acres.

Surely this is the right place for a solar farm, bung it on the roof! Hey you could even make it a condition of planning permission.

Too simple to plaster over a green field.

Hello, I'm sure the Swindon  Amazon warehouse has solar, 

[oldypigeonpopper]

2 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

I see that on local news, going to supply 300,000 homes and make the Duke a few £s richer 🤔🙄

Hello, I'm sure the Swindon  Amazon warehouse has solar, 

Hello, they were building a solar farm opposite my friends farm but we're stuck with where to lay the cable to the sub station, can we lay the cable through your fields , of course you can !!! ,That will be £80,000 please, !!

[wisdom]

1 hour ago, Keith 66 said:

A farmer local to us has been looking to have a solar farm built on his land in two locations.

Yet just a couple of miles away are the distribution sheds of Thames gateway container port.

When you drive our motorway network you will see vast distribution centres all over the place, in the midlands there are scores of them covering many thousands of acres.

Surely this is the right place for a solar farm, bung it on the roof! Hey you could even make it a condition of planning permission.

Too simple to plaster over a green field.

Very sensible suggestion.

[Ultrastu]

I've said for years. 

Put solar panels over the motorway network .

It will improve the roads and fuel  economy of vehicles and reduce pollution .and there are  1000s miles  of it. Its So bloody obvious  but no one listens .

[matone]

Solar should be put on the more unproductive types of land ,not on good productive arable/grassland .We need to produce as much of our own food as possible!

And why are the acres of industrial buildings not covered in panels ??????

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by matone

[nige65]

There all over the place. There proposing 3000 acres surrounding 4 villages here, near Howden East Yorkshire. 
crying shame to lose good productive farm land. The ones there proposing here are 4.8 mtrs high, going to be a bl**dy eyesore out in the countryside. Especially when there’s plenty of roof space. 
And one of the biggest estuaries we’re tidal power is a given twice a day. 

[Stonepark]

2 hours ago, 12gauge82 said:

Solar is brilliant technology. But its ridiculous to cover green space with them, there's more than enough space on people's houses for panels without loosing arable, grazing or countryside for panels. The government should be incentivising homeowners. 

The average power use in the UK is 15,000kwh per annum, which would require some 16kw of panels or 40 (400w panels) (800mm x 1200mm) panels on their roof to cover both heating and electricity use or an install cost about £20k, ignoring this is averages and not real life.

2 hours ago, Keith 66 said:

When you drive our motorway network you will see vast distribution centres all over the place, in the midlands there are scores of them covering many thousands of acres.

Surely this is the right place for a solar farm, bung it on the roof! Hey you could even make it a condition of planning permission.

 

Panels in additin to the cladding often weigh more than the roof was designed to hold and would need reinforced, so not straight forward.

[12gauge82]

1 minute ago, Stonepark said:

The average power use in the UK is 15,000kwh per annum, which would require some 16kw of panels or 40 (400w panels) (800mm x 1200mm) panels on their roof to cover both heating and electricity use or an install cost about £20k, ignoring this is averages and not real life.

Panels in additin to the cladding often weigh more than the roof was designed to hold and would need reinforced, so not straight forward.

It would be a very good start to covering a large chunk of the UK's energy needs with very few downsides. It obviously isn't a magic bullet and in particular we need energy storage solutions. 

[Dave-G]

6 hours ago, 8 shot said:

So then held to ransom for substandard food, very logical.

And farmers have ample staff to harvest crops?  The farmer is entitled to make what he can from his land - some sell it for housing too.

Once its fairly quickly up and running there'll be minimal labour needed for the farmer to augment our urgent energy requirements, and there's probably a lot of farmland unsuitable for growing crops. And as Tightchoke posted above, the land can be restored to farming... once more nuclear power is up and running.

Edited November 4, 2022 by Dave-G

[Rim Fire]

11 hours ago, Dougy said:

They did but that creates its own problems, the panels belong to the supplying company and then the house sale has caveats due to contracts with the solar panel owners. 

If the government are to do that they need to look at how its controlled.

This happened to a neighbor of mine a couple wanted the house but they couldn't get a mortgage with the panels on so she had to get them removed 

[Walker570]

13 hours ago, 12gauge82 said:

Solar is brilliant technology. But its ridiculous to cover green space with them, there's more than enough space on people's houses for panels without loosing arable, grazing or countryside for panels. The government should be incentivising homeowners. 

Every new developement, houses or factories should HAVE to fit total roof coverage. Just think how many acres of roof space on commercial propertis are in your own town/city.  Farm land should be growing food for us.

We should be growing our own food but everyone  has been so used to eating stuff shipped from around the world and not eating according to seasons plus too idle to grow some of it themselves.  On a very small patch I grow beans, carrots, chard, garlic, leaks and only buy occasional cabbage, potatos and mushrooms but with a union jack label.

 

[12gauge82]

38 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Every new developement, houses or factories should HAVE to fit total roof coverage. Just think how many acres of roof space on commercial propertis are in your own town/city.  Farm land should be growing food for us.

We should be growing our own food but everyone  has been so used to eating stuff shipped from around the world and not eating according to seasons plus too idle to grow some of it themselves.  On a very small patch I grow beans, carrots, chard, garlic, leaks and only buy occasional cabbage, potatos and mushrooms but with a union jack label.

 

Absolutely right. This globalisation has a lot to answer for. 

[Lampwick]

A big element of the business plan for these schemes is to build huge battery storage. 
These companies will then buy cheap electricity at off peak times and sell it back to the grid for a profit at peak times. 
A major problem here is fire!!! https://www.bestmag.co.uk/teslas-lithium-ion-megapack-causes-three-day-fire-during-test-australian-300mw-ess/

[Stonepark]

4 hours ago, Lampwick said:

A big element of the business plan for these schemes is to build huge battery storage. 
These companies will then buy cheap electricity at off peak times and sell it back to the grid for a profit at peak times. 
A major problem here is fire!!! https://www.bestmag.co.uk/teslas-lithium-ion-megapack-causes-three-day-fire-during-test-australian-300mw-ess/

Stand alone batteries which are charged from the grid (and as a result are effectively being charged by all sources, gas, nuclear and renewables) provide 2 services...

1 - Network balancing and black start power for which they get paid a retainer.

2 - Capacity shifting, i.e. charging for 4 hours during the night between 0000 and 0500 and putting that back into the grid at peak demand between 1700 and 2100, using the price differential.

Batteries attached solar\wind projects charge when sun\wind is available and again discharge at peak time or when grid levels are low but are primarily using renewable power.

 

[matone]

16 hours ago, Stonepark said:

The average power use in the UK is 15,000kwh per annum, which would require some 16kw of panels or 40 (400w panels) (800mm x 1200mm) panels on their roof to cover both heating and electricity use or an install cost about £20k, ignoring this is averages and not real life.

Panels in additin to the cladding often weigh more than the roof was designed to hold and would need reinforced, so not straight forward.

Well you could insist that new builds take this into account at design stage!