Solar factories don’t belong on productive land

Landowners from the Wagga Wagga region are joining forces to safeguard valuable farmland and food security against the expansion of solar factories in the region.

The Riverina Sustainable Food Alliance has been formed in response to the growing number of solar factories, or “farms”, being proposed for prime agricultural properties across the Wagga Wagga electorate.

Alliance members acknowledge that solar energy is a vital component of the state’s transition to renewables, but argue that it cannot come at the cost of food security or the environment.

They point out that productive farmland in Australia is finite and that there are other parts of NSW that would be more suitable for large-scale solar factory developments.

Independent Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, is supporting the new group’s push to keep solar factories off productive farm land.

“It makes no sense to put these solar factories on some of Australia’s best agricultural land,” Dr McGirr said.

“We know we need renewable energy, but we also need to eat.

“There’s plenty of places – like the state’s renewable energy zones – where these solar factories could be developed.

“Why put them on prime agricultural land and why put them so close to regional cities? It makes no sense.

“The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has rightly pointed out that with the global population continuing to climb, we are also going to need a substantial increase in food production. Covering prime agricultural land with solar panels is not going to improve food security.”

Borambola landowners and alliance members Rick and Pam Martin have spent 35 years improving their property to overcome substantial problems with erosion, soil acidity, dryland salinity, waterlogging and a high water table. They estimate they have planted more than 60,000 trees, which now cover 14 per cent of their property.

These efforts have inspired many of their neighbours to adopt similar practices.

The Martins’ property is adjacent to land on which a 307-hectare solar farm is being proposed.

Mr and Mrs Martin are concerned not only about the loss of productive farmland, but also about the impact the installation of thousands of solar panels will have not only on the host property, but also on neighbours’ land.

“With nearly four kilometres of our property’s eastern boundary adjoining hundreds of acres of gleaning glass surfaces we are really concerned with the run-off from the panels onto our property, and also the impact on the thousands of trees we have planted adjoining the proposed solar factory,” Mr Martin said.

“It is also possible there will need to be substantial earthworks to flatten parts of the undulating land. This will have a detrimental impact on the water table and likely increase the threat of dryland salinity, an issue we have worked so hard to address,” Mr Martin said.

Mrs Martin also flagged concerns about bushfires.

“Firefighters will not be able to enter the solar factory site to control a fire and would be forced to wait on the boundary fence while it burns out of control,” she said.

“With the memory of being totally burnt out at the end of 1984 we know the heartache that bushfires cause,” she said.

“We support the expansion of renewables, where appropriate, but solar factory developments do not belong on prime agricultural land.”

There are currently a number of solar factories proposed for the Wagga Wagga electorate, including those at Mates Gully, Maxwell, North Wagga and Uranquinty. Affected landowners who want to know more about the Riverina Sustainable Food Alliance can apply to join a Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/5185606568165793