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

Frankly until technology comes up with an alternative, I don’t see we have a choice.

Solar panels are the way to go.

P.S. ignore Truss, she is just a drip.

I agree Whitewavemark2.
Amongst other things i could add.

I live rurally, with fields all around, and people have often asked how I would feel if either wind or solar farms were proposed here. I have always replied that I would not really mind.

We need to harness that energy, and they have to go somewhere and, quite frankly, I don't find them particularly unsightly either, though in the case of wind turbines, I admit that I would not want them near enough to the house for the noise they can make to be a problem indoors.

Several solar farms have been proposed in this county, there has been hundreds of objections from all over the world not just locally. One or two have fought successfully and are operating, there seems to be some kind of organised objection group not just nimbyism
There are also no wind turbines, neighbouring counties have then we do not, no special environmental reasons, they are jus not allowed

Yes, I would object if there was a proposal for a solar farm on the fields directly behind my house. I’m being honest.

I feel very strongly in favour of renewable energy, and have solar panels on my roof, but I can understand objections to them covering fields. We must have acres of roofs on ugly buildings on industrial parks, hypermarkets, factories, car parks, even airports all over the UK. Why can't they be used first?

No problem with solar or wind farms ,have a massive issue with the nuclear deterrent being parked on our doorstep .Our new neighbour proudly told us he's the "man in charge of checking the bombs" not something to be proud of when millions of lives could be at risk from them .

Solar panels aren't pretty, but then, neither are power stations. At least the land under solar panels can be used for grazing, for crops or just for providing the conditions under which wildlife can thrive.

The scope for increasing the use of PV solar panels is huge, they can be fitted just about anywhere that they can access sufficient light to be productive, even floating on reservoirs. It is very shortsighted, almost criminal in an age when we need to be sharply reining back on our use of fossil fuels to provide energy, to be preventing their use.

It is especially shortsighted when we are seeing how vulnerable our energy supplies are to international events and we are facing a period of potential immense hardship for most of the population because of this vulnerability. This is one area in which we can indeed 'take back control'.

choughdancer

I feel very strongly in favour of renewable energy, and have solar panels on my roof, but I can understand objections to them covering fields. We must have acres of roofs on ugly buildings on industrial parks, hypermarkets, factories, car parks, even airports all over the UK. Why can't they be used first?

Absolutely agree. They should plaster them all over the roofs before covering the green spaces, which are fast declining.

The only alternatives to renewable are nuclear and fracking. I think we have to go down the nuclear route as well as solar and wind because we must be self sufficient. Unfortunately this should have been done years ago.

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?)

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.

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.

Wind farms are already being built in the sea.
doggerbank.com/
This will be the biggest in the world apparently. I’m less in favour of solar farms on land, because they take up a lot more room for the amount of energy generated, although it does make sense to utilise existing roof capacity, of which there must be vast quantities.

At least they don’t discover a rare parrot or butterfly to stop them like they do here.

Whitewavemark2

Frankly until technology comes up with an alternative, I don’t see we have a choice.

Solar panels are the way to go.

totally agree- but there are miles and miles of rooves, industrial, business sites, warehouses, public building (schools, hospitals, town halls), farming and private, for this. We should not be using green fields and cover them with solar panels.

Casdon

Wind farms are already being built in the sea.
doggerbank.com/
This will be the biggest in the world apparently. I’m less in favour of solar farms on land, because they take up a lot more room for the amount of energy generated, although it does make sense to utilise existing roof capacity, of which there must be vast quantities.

Whoops. I misread ixion's post. Slightly understandable as we are discussing solar farms, not wind farms. But apologies all the same.

There are quite a lot of windmills built at sea already. Apart from the fact that I think they are very ugly, I don't have a problem with them.

Sometimes they do nanna8 dormice, slow worms and great crested newts can halt development, sometimes they’re relocated or built around, oh and bats.

I think it should be a legal requirement for all new builds to have solar panels, along with water harvesting systems, triple glazing and top notch insulation.

Solar panels should be on factories, schools, hospitals any building really.

There is a huge solar panel farm in the North East of our County along with several wind farms. The nuclear power station has been taken off grid and is decommissioned.

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.

GrannyGravy13

I think it should be a legal requirement for all new builds to have solar panels, along with water harvesting systems, triple glazing and top notch insulation.

Solar panels should be on factories, schools, hospitals any building really.

There is a huge solar panel farm in the North East of our County along with several wind farms. The nuclear power station has been taken off grid and is decommissioned.

Absolutely agree with you, GG13. I've been thinking that for a long time, too.

I have read that the EU are looking to make it mandatory. Such a shame we left...

Yes what appears to be an entire community near me is objecting to a proposed solar farm. Its interesting to watch.

MaizieD

Casdon

Wind farms are already being built in the sea.
doggerbank.com/
This will be the biggest in the world apparently. I’m less in favour of solar farms on land, because they take up a lot more room for the amount of energy generated, although it does make sense to utilise existing roof capacity, of which there must be vast quantities.

Whoops. I misread ixion's post. Slightly understandable as we are discussing solar farms, not wind farms. But apologies all the same.

There are quite a lot of windmills built at sea already. Apart from the fact that I think they are very ugly, I don't have a problem with them.

Sorry, my error,
Solar farms, indeed!

It all depends. We have a number solar farms in our parish and no one compalins, but sometimes solar energy companies want to put their panels in places that impinge on settings of places of exceptional beauty, or are very obvious from local viewpoints. Then the bjection isn't to the solar farm, but its location within the landscape.

People like to get very worked up about nimbyism, but there is far less of it around than people imagine. Like with new housing, mosr communities accept that there is need for many new houses and that they need to be in there community, but there will be some sites where they are not considered appropriate.

In our village over 500 new houses have been built, most accepted without comment, but there was one estate that we were very concerned about. Immediately we were accused ofnimbyism, even though we had accepted the building of three other estates without comment. By saying this kind of thing, and of course, it is the developer saying it, it immediately tars the opposition as being unreasonable.

It is the same with solar farm. A parish can acceopt four solar farms without comment. Th moment it objects to the fifth because it is close to a local beauty spot. Those who object are called NIMBYs. The fact that they have been accepted the first four solar arrays is completely ignored.