ENGAGING COMMUNITIES WITH SOLAR FARMS

Utility-scale solar parks have been the big renewable energy success story of the last couple of years.

According to Regen SW’s latest annual Renewable Energy Progress Report, the Southwest added over 250 MW solar in the past year – 80% of which was megawatt scale solar farms. Compare that with just 5.5 MW of onshore wind (currently the UK’s most cost-effective renewable technology) and it’s clear that large-scale solar is going to play an increasingly important part in helping meet the UK’s green energy targets.

Until recently, getting a solar park through planning was relatively straightforward and quick – certainly in comparison with wind farms. One developer told me his solar applications typically received only a handful of objections. However, we are now starting to see a growing public backlash against solar which is making it much more challenging to get planning permission. 

Proliferation is one reason, as well as a few high-profile negative stories in the media. This piece from the Telegraph is typical – in which a Devon county councillor is quoted comparing a consented solar farm to a concentration camp. Another application for a 16MW solar farm in Suffolk was recently refused following a raft of objections from local residents including TV personality Griff Rhys Jones.  

If the large-scale solar industry doesn’t want to face the same difficulties which have plagued onshore wind farms, it needs to work hard to maintain the high level of public support it currently enjoys.

“Involving communities in developing projects and bringing them with you ... will be vital in creating a sustainable future for large-scale solar PV.”

— Greg Barker, MP

Of course, solar farm proposals should be sensitively designed and in the right location – just like any other renewable development. But they should also offer a good community benefit. The industry standard for wind farms has recently risen to £5,000 per MW; while communities affected by fracking for shale gas so beloved by George Osborne are set to get around £100,000 per well. There is so far no benchmark for solar – although developers who ‘get it’ now offer £1,000 per MW in community benefit as standard. But there are still many who don’t.

Early and effective stakeholder engagement is also key to helping solar parks progress easily through planning. There’s no substitute for friendly, face-to-face contact – and developers should emphasise the economic benefits they can bring to an area, for example through the supply chain, as well as the environmental advantages, such as wildflower planting to support bees. 

Innovative financing models which give large numbers of people the chance to share the financial benefits also help boost public acceptance. Westmill Solar Cooperative – the world’s largest community-owned solar coop - is an inspiring example of how this works in practice. And organisations such as Abundance are using a crowdfunding model to make it easy for people to invest in solar energy projects.

As Greg Barker MP said in a recent speech to the industry: “Involving communities in developing projects and bringing them with you…will be vital in creating a sustainable future for large-scale solar PV.”

Sophy Fearnley-Whittingstall, founder, SFW Communications

A FAIRER WIND FOR WILTSHIRE?

Giving evidence against wind farm buffer zones

The Wiltshire Clean Energy Alliance (WCEA) gave evidence last week at the Planning Inspector’s hearing on the Wiltshire Core Strategy. Under scrutiny was one of the most controversial local policies: mandatory separation distances between wind turbines and houses.

Our presence was the culmination of a campaign we launched almost a year ago after a last-minute change to the Core Strategy imposed minimum buffers of 3km for large wind turbines. Wind is a key renewable technology for Wiltshire, and we believe this is unsound planning policy, not supported by any evidence.

Others who joined us in speaking up for wind power were the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Chippenham MP Duncan Hames. Another somewhat unlikely ally was the Campaign for the Protection for Rural England, who clearly recognise the unfairness of the amendment. Defending the council’s policy was a cohort of Wiltshire Council officers whose jobs, of course, require them to do so.

The WCEA presented evidence from RegenSW which showed that if the buffer zones are allowed to stand the only part of Wiltshire that might be suitable for commercial-scale 2.5 MW wind turbines is a tiny triangle of woodland next to a bridleway in the south of the county.

So, without large-scale wind, how could Wiltshire fill the huge gap between its current very low levels of renewable generation and its aspiration of 367MW (30% by 2020)?

That was the key question for the Inspector, who asked the council officers to provide evidence on this no less than five times during the hearing. Something they were unable to do.

The WCEA made a strong case that wind farm planning applications should be considered on a case-by-case basis in line with national planning policy. And that there’s no evidence to suggest Wiltshire should be treated any differently from the rest of the country.

The Core Strategy Examination in Public last until 18th July 2013. We’ll have to wait several months for the results to be published. In the meantime, all forms of wind development – both commercial and community – are stymied. That is a great shame. But in the end we hope we will have a stronger policy in Wiltshire that will set an important precedent for other local authorities.

Sophy Fearnley-Whittingstall is co-founder and coordinator of the Wiltshire Clean Energy Alliance which campaigns for fair planning policies for renewables.

​No wind power for Wiltshire if controversial policy is allowed to stand

Vote for a greener economy in Wiltshire

There’s just one question to ask when council candidates come knocking…

A four-yearly rite of Spring sees prospective council candidates knocking on Wiltshire’s doors ahead of polls on May 2nd. And if there’s one issue that divides the county, as it does the country, it’s wind farms – although there isn’t actually a single commercial wind turbine in the county...

​Image courtesy of nirots by FreeDigitalPhotos.net

And little prospect of one either, as the route to developing wind farms here was effectively barred last summer by a last-minute change to Wiltshire’s Core Strategy. The new policy, voted through by the Conservative-controlled council without prior consultation, imposes a turbine exclusion zone of up to 3km around houses, ostensibly for health and safety reasons. The effect is shown clearly on this map - taking into account other restrictions such as AONBs and conservation areas, almost no scrap of land remains where a wind farm could be built.

The Core Strategy will be subject to a six-week public examination by the Planning Inspector starting in May – when the Wiltshire Clean Energy Alliance hopes this restrictive policy will be overturned. They’ll be making a strong case that the amendment is unscientific and goes against national planning policy, which says that wind farm applications should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In the meantime, when prospective council candidates come knocking on your door asking for your vote, ask them what they think about wind turbines.

And if they need a reminder, here are some reasons to support wind power in Wiltshire:

• Wiltshire is already the second-worst county in the Southwest when it comes to generating green power – and is missing out on jobs and other economic benefits as a result. According to a recent study by RegenSW, employment in renewable energy has been growing at an annual rate of 40 percent in the region, despite the grip of the recession. But it could be even higher – we’re losing out on tens of thousands of green jobs, partly due to restrictive local planning policy.
• Wiltshire Council’s own study identified wind power as one of two main potential sources of renewable power (the other was biomass).
• Wind power is one of the safest forms of energy generation, and there’s no evidence to support the need for separation distances.
• Wind farms, as with other developments, should be subject to fair planning scrutiny, considered on a case-by-case basis, and sited only where appropriate.
• What happens in Wiltshire is being closely followed by other local authorities. If this policy is not overturned by the Planning Inspector then there’s a real risk that a precedent will become established which could have serious implications for our country’s ability to achieve its renewable energy targets.

Surveys consistently show that most of the British public support wind energy. So don’t be part of the silent majority – use your vote to let the council know what you think.