The BV magazine, January ‘23 RURAL MATTERS - the monthly column from the CPRE
Rooftop panels versus solar farms
The solar farm just at the foot of Hambledon Hill, the Iron Age hill fort in North Dorset
Rupert Hardy, chairman of the North Dorset CPRE, takes a long look into the case for solar panels on roofs or in fields North Dorset CPRE is well aware of the climate emergency and the severe impact of the Ukraine conflict on energy prices, and it is fully supportive of renewable energy development. The government has prioritised offshore wind power to supply the majority of our renewable energy needs. But what can Dorset do? New offshore wind farms are less likely to be proposed here. The ending of the virtual moratorium on onshore wind farms may result in new planning applications but the main contribution will come from solar in Dorset. To combat climate change, Dorset Council (DC) aims to meet a huge renewable energy target of 3.8TWh/yr by 2050; up from the current generation of 0.5TWh/yr. Developers will retort that we have plenty of potential sites for solar farms, and that we 6
should take advantage of the high solar irradiance of the county. However – do not be deceived by the frequently misleading data issued by solar trade associations, whose members are unsurprisingly more concerned with profit than saving the planet. Profit not planet This January in North Dorset we expect a hearing into the proposal for a 190-acre solar farm at Pulham/Mappowder. The CPRE has not objected to a number of less damaging solar farms, but we are opposing this one, on grounds of the harm it will do to the setting of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the beautiful countryside for which it is responsible, as well as the adverse impact on amenity and the flooding risk. Last autumn, a proposal to cover no less than 1,400 acres
of farmland near Chickerell (south west of Dorchester and equivalent to 885 soccer pitches) shocked many on account of its huge scale. It would be built on part of the Dorset AONB, desecrating countryside in the heart of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex, covered with ancient monuments. There will of course be more applications in North Dorset. Is the renewable energy benefit a price worth paying? We would argue that it is not. Roof not field Rooftop solar panels could provide the same output, although we are supportive of <5MW community-funded solar farms. If you missed it at the time, please do see our article in the BV last February on “Why is Dorset So Slow Putting Solar Panels on Roofs”. Key factors that should be considered are: