COVERING GOOD FOOD GROWING LAND WITH SOLAR PANELS?

[bluebell]

seems very wrong to me, read that plans to build a very large solar farm covering a couple of thousands of acres north suffolk ,cambridgeshire area, what do others think ? i can see the point of covering large roofs such as warehouses or any roofs, i think that all this large scale new house building thats going on or will be built in the future should have to have solar panels built from new as law, but not surely on good arable land that we are loosing to development and have not much at all ?

 

[Vader]

Been saying for years that all new build should have solar panels.

Same new warehouses.

 

[Sid]

Part of the new payment schemes are also to block drains and allow land to become a sponge again.
Devaluation of capital asset for little reward.

 

[spin cycle]

we don't need the food...you can burn down rainforests for that

 

[Hindsight]

we don't need the food...you can burn down rainforests for that

Or make it in a factory.

 

[teslacoils]

Seems an ace idea. My YouTube is filled with adverts for green energy and almond milk. Very few for Swedes and carrots.

 

[Hindsight]

Seems an ace idea. My YouTube is filled with adverts for green energy and almond milk. Very few for Swedes and carrots.

Well you know Swedes and Carrots are just so 20th century. A Tesla and Oat milk is the future. I know as my on trend 22 year old told me as her Facebook Group know all the answers.

 

[snarling bee]

View of my farm from the bedroom window. Enough energy for 2500 houses.
Pays for this sort of thing:

And this sort of thing:

 

[HarryB97]

View of my farm from the bedroom window.
Pays for this sort of thing:

And this sort of thing:

Exactly it doesn't matter what other people think it's more important to think of your family, your life and the future of your business, and if that's by solar then crack on. It's the same as land for housing most people are jealous and bitter that they are not in a suitable location or have not gone out there and approached firms. I do agree though that new builds being built without things like panels on are missing a huge trick! I would love a Jag one day!

 

[snarling bee]

Part of the new payment schemes are also to block drains and allow land to become a sponge again.
Devaluation of capital asset for little reward.

Land is worth a more covered in solar panels, and my drains were kn@ckered anyway.

 

[teslacoils]

Well, I can offer them a few acres of less productive land if they would like it. ..

 

[grainboy]

Looking ahead,
What environmental problems will occur, as panels have an expected life span of 25 yrs, ish, and are classified as hazardous waste, when that time is up,
Already, know of a site less than 10 yrs old, that needs 500 panels replacing,
Just pushing our problems onto future generations,

 

[snarling bee]

Of course we have one of these as the main run-around

car.

 

[snarling bee]

Looking ahead,
What environmental problems will occur, as panels have an expected life span of 25 yrs, ish, and are classified as hazardous waste, when that time is up,
Already, know of a site less than 10 yrs old, that needs 500 panels replacing,
Just pushing our problems onto future generations,

I personally can't see solar parks being returned to agriculture. Why would they? It will be repowered and keep going. I see it as an asset for future generations rather than a liability, they will have the choice of owning it outright or renting it out again.
Solar panels usually keep going at an annual degradation rate of about 0.75%, so they will still be producing something in 40 years time, although recent estimates put the degradation at only 6% in 25 years.
Why are solar panels hazardous waste? They are now recyclable and classed as general waste in the UK. I'm sure they will be more easily recycled in the future.

 

[grainboy]

What about the Silver, Lead, Arsenic, and Cadium,
Bit like when plastic was invented, now look at the problems, !!!

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

I do believe all of these solar farms should be set up so they can at least be grazed by sheep under the panels. It should also be a planning requirement.
Must be a win win for Co2 reduction that way.

We used to graze two of these, but they have now changed hands (we think to BP) and the new owners have stopped any grazing and now just mow under them.

 

[bluebell]

i havnt any problem with what people do, with their land within the law of the country ? i just think that our leaders and the policies coming out of govt are contradicty , on one hand we have a small country thats getting more and more developed , the available land that can or could produce food shrinks daily ? yet more and more shouts is for land to be rewilded or just let go ? where is the long term planning in all this ?

 

[Kidds]

Just a crop like any other as far as I am concerned.
Plenty of farmers grew crops for intervention or based on subs, what's the difference,

 

[Bald Rick]

View of my farm from the bedroom window. Enough energy for 2500 houses.
Pays for this sort of thing:

And this sort of thing:

All fine and dandy but the reality is that for those of us who do not have renewables on the farm, we are paying through the nose via green Levies on our electric bills so you can run around in an F Type.

Jealous, moi?

 

[delilah]

I do believe all of these solar farms should be set up so they can at least be grazed by sheep under the panels. It should also be a planning requirement.
Must be a win win for Co2 reduction that way.

We used to graze two of these, but they have now changed hands (we think to BP) and the new owners have stopped any grazing and now just mow under them.

What grows under them ? Surely a certain square inch of land can only be hit by the ray of sunshine once, it's either hitting a solar panel or the earth ? Genuine question not being funny, never seen a solar farm in the flesh. We have a couple of roof systems, one making 12v the other into the grid, they both on roofs.
I agree with the OP they should be illegal on farmland. Windmills I like.