Big solar farm in NSW approved after widening gaps in solar rows to allow more sheep

The number of planning approvals in NSW for big renewable projects continues to accelerate with the NSW Independent Planning Commission announcing it has provided conditional approval for a 200 MW solar farm in the state’s Riverina Region

The Glennellen solar project is being developed by China solar manufacturing giant Trina Solar and will be located two kilometres north east of the town of Jindera in the Greater Hume government area.

Approval from IPC comes less than a week after it granted conditional approval for the Oxley solar project, a similar sized solar farm with a big battery near Armidale in the New England region. A large wind farm, Hills of Gold, also won approval from the state planning department and will now be referred to the IPC.

The flow of approvals is significant because NSW has been criticised for its slow approvals process, particularly for wind farms, with just one wind farm getting approval over the last five years.

All three newly approved projects have faced opposition from members of the local community. For Glenellen, three quarters of the 107 public submissions were opposed, and – like the Oxley solar project in New England – a common concern was that it was Chinese owned and fears of a “heat island” effect.

Other objections noted fog, noise, dust, glare, and concern about impact on agricultural resources, and the most common complaint was that the proposal “is not a farm, it’s a major industrial plant.”

Supporters noted the project’s emissions benefits, the boost to the local community, and the fact that the solar project will allow ongoing grazing within the area.

In response to the submissions, the developers reduced the number of solar panels by around 23,000, moved the substation to the south of the project, set the project further back from the road, and increased the spacing between rows of modules from 6m to 9m to facilitate more sheep grazing.

The issue around agriculture use is emerging as a major point of contention in the granting of project approvals for wind and solar farms, but project developers insist that these projects are usually built on land unsuitable for crops, and will not affect grazing.

In fact, they say, it will make it more attractive and many solar farms already accommodate mobs of sheep, which help keep the grass down.

The state’s biggest solar farm, New England, is rotating at least 2,000 sheep through part of its project area and expects to host up to 6,000 merino sheep at a time. A new solar project in Tasmania, on one of the oldest solar farms in the island state, will not limit that property’s ability to run 22,000 sheep.

Proponents say that the models provide shelter from the sun and rain, and protection from predators for young lambs.

The IPC says the NSW Department of Planning and Environment completed its assessment of the Glenellen Solar Farm in October this year, and it was referred to the IPC because at least 50 people objected to the proposed development.

The three-member Commission Panel, comprising Dr Sheridan Coakes (Chair), Mr Adrian Pilton and Dr Bronwyn Evans AM, met with key stakeholders, conducted a site inspection and locality tour, held a public meeting where they heard from 25 speakers, and received 61 written submissions from the community.

The IPC said it gave approval because the proposed site is “suitable for renewable energy development given its location close to existing electricity transmission networks, topography, solar resources, avoidance of major environmental constraints, access to the regional road network.

It also noted that the agri-solar component of the project allows for the continued use of the land for grazing and cropping, with only a 25 per cent reduction in the sheep carrying capcacity.

The conditions included on-site vegetation screening, traffic management, restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles, and complete rehabilitation of the site at the end of the project life.