Wind Farms and Solar Panels Will be the Monuments of Our Folly

 Throughout history, successful engineering projects are the legacy to us of the age in which they were carried out. We thank unknown engineers for the pyramids and the remains of ancient Athens and Rome. We thank Brunel for our railways, tunnels and bridges. Whether we like him or not, we thank Elon Musk, so far, for PayPal, cheaper access to space and electric vehicles.

Who will we thank for the green nirvana? The windmills of today are modern versions of those that powered industry several centuries ago. Within a few decades of the introduction of James Watt’s steam engine to assist the annual harvest in Europe, those old windmills ceased turning, for here was a new, flexible, portable and always ready-to-go form of energy. Nothing that has happened in recent decades has reduced that difference in utility. The laws of physics prevent it. We have become used to accessing energy when and where we want it. In the absence – now or in prospect – of any technology to store electricity at a massive scale for weeks, we need a 100% back-up capability of coal, oil, gas and nuclear electricity for when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine. 

A forced priority to use wind and solar, sweetened by vast subsides (for they would not be spontaneously adopted by the free market) means that we have to run two grids side by side: one intermittent, the other firm. The last 20 years have seen only wasteful addition and some unwise subtractions, such as blowing up coal-fired power stations for show. We would not have been able to evolve our modern society if we had relied all along on wind and solar forms of energy. Just as we can’t buck the market because it bites back, so too we can’t buck the engineering principles of power generation for they too bite back. ...<<<Read More>>>...

Miliband Overrules His Inspectors to Approve Britain’s Second-Largest Solar Farm

 Ed Miliband has approved Britain’s second-largest solar farm on 4,000 acres of prime farmland after overruling opposition from his own inspectors. The Telegraph has the story.

The Energy Secretary on Wednesday said he had granted planning permission to the One Earth Solar Farm development to be built on prime farmland across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

It comes despite a recommendation to block the development from Miliband’s own planning inspectors.

They warned that the scheme would be destructive for the environment, would put historic structures at risk, damage the health and well-being of local people and cause transport problems.

The controversial decision marks the third large solar farm approved by Miliband in recent days, coming a week after he backed two other large solar farms, Pear Tree Hill in East Yorkshire and Dean Moor in West Cumbria.

Sceptics suggest the Energy Secretary is trying to sign off as many such developments as he can before Andy Burnham takes office and potentially moves him to a new position.

One Earth has been cleared for construction on 4,000 acres of prime farmland near Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood and West Lindsey district council areas.

Besides the thousands of Chinese-made solar panels, the scheme will also include giant batteries to store surplus electricity.

It is set to be the second largest solar farm in the UK after the Springwell Solar Farm in Lincolnshire, an 800-megawatt project approved by the Government in April.

Confirming his decision, Miliband said: “The only way to have energy security is if we take a pro-growth approach to building more clean energy in Britain. For two years that is exactly what this Government has done.”

However, the new scheme is controversial because it will see several rural communities largely surrounded by solar panels covering what were once fields and hedgerows.

The village of North Clifton, around 10 miles from Lincoln, would have solar farms to the north, east and south, with some of the local farms being completely surrounded....<<<Read More>>>...

The toxic truth behind the solar energy mirage: Heavy metal waste is making farmland unusable

It wasn't long ago, we were all told to "go green" and save the environment by investing in solar panels. Rapid investment in solar energy infrastructure ignored the hidden environmental cost that comes from the manufacture and eventually the waste generated by broken or outdated solar components.

Right now, the solar energy industry is touting a breakthrough that promises to revolutionize clean power generation, but beneath the glossy headlines about efficiency gains and waste reduction lies a secret. Researchers at Oregon State University have published findings in the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells showing that CIGS solar devices - composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium - can now be manufactured using inkjet technology, drastically decreasing waste and significantly improving efficiency. 

But while the industry celebrates this innovation, the uncomfortable reality is that solar panels, including these new CIGS devices, are producing tons heavy metals and toxic waste that threatens human health and the environment....<<<Read More>>>...

The Case Against Industrial-Scale Solar in the UK

 Britain is rapidly installing more solar panels. Across the country, fields that once grew wheat, barley and vegetables are now covered with glass and silicon panels stretching to the hedgerows. The Government calls this a key part of its energy plan.

Developers claim solar is affordable and bound to happen. Planning authorities, under growing pressure to approve renewable projects, often struggle to refuse them. But the main question — whether large-scale solar truly suits the UK’s geography, climate and energy needs — is rarely explored in detail. When it is, the findings are worrying.

This argument is not opposed to solar energy itself. Instead, it asks for a clear look at what solar can and cannot do in a northern, Atlantic-facing country. Policies built on incomplete information can have lasting effects, even after the panels are removed....<<<Read More>>>...

Miliband Approves UK’s Biggest Solar Farm on 3,000 Acres of Prime Farmland

 Ed Miliband has approved the UK’s largest solar farm to date, covering 3,000 acres – that’s 2,000 football pitches – of prime farmland in a “mass industrialisation” of Britain’s countryside. The Telegraph has more.

The Energy Secretary approved Tillbridge Solar farm near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire on Tuesday. Once operational, the site will generate enough renewable electricity for up to 300,000 homes when the sun is shining.

The solar farm is controversial among local people and is opposed by Lincolnshire county council and by the district councils.

Opponents object to the destruction of farmland, the “industrialisation” of a quiet rural area and the loss of treasured landscapes.

They fear that the approval will open the way for the land to be developed into factories and housing once the solar farm reaches its end of life in two to three decades.

Sean Matthews, the leader of Reform-controlled Lincolnshire County Council, said Mr Miliband was “hell-bent on this vandalism of our countryside”.

The proposed Tillbridge Solar project would cover about 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares), making it larger than any existing solar farm in Britain.

It would be located near the village of Glentworth, near Gainsborough, between three other large solar farms that are either already approved or are seeking the green light.

The project is a joint venture between London-based Tribus Clean Energy and Recurrent Energy, which is ultimately owned by Canadian Solar.

Mr Miliband has made clear his strong support for expanding solar. After taking office following last year’s general election, he approved a series of major solar developments. They included Gate Burton, Cottam and Mallard Pass, all in Lincolnshire, plus Sunnica on the Cambridge-Suffolk border...<<<Read More>>>...

Overcapacity catastrophe: U.K. pays solar farms to shut down due to grid overload from sunny days

 The U.K.’s push for renewable energy hit a new snag this year as solar farms—long considered a stable alternative to fossil fuels—were paid £102,500 ($139,169) to shut down between February and June. The National Energy System Operator (NESO), overseeing the energy grid under Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s policies, issued orders to reduce output at five solar facilities amid surges of sunshine that risked overwhelming local power networks. The constraint payments, now extending beyond wind farms to solar energy, underscore a growing crisis of renewable overcapacity and grid inadequacy, with costs passed directly to consumers. 

The issue isn’t new. Wind farms in northern Scotland and offshore installations have faced similar shutdown mandates for years, driven by grid infrastructure too frail to handle sudden energy spikes. Now, the rapid growth of solar capacity, particularly in southern England, has replicated the problem. NESO’s records reveal that constraint payments for renewables totaled over £650 million ($882.62 million) this year alone, with projections escalating to £8 billion ($10.86 billion) annually by 2030 unless grid systems are overhauled.

“Britain’s energy bills are surging… constraint payments are a critical and growing factor,” said John Constable, director of the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF), which exposed the solar shutdown data. He noted that renewable subsidies, totaling £200 billion ($271.61 billion) since 2002 and nearly £8,000 ($10,863) per household, have failed to create a self-sustaining market. “Developers still rely on taxpayer and billpayer support,” he added, blaming this dependency for the U.K.’s chronically high energy prices...<<<Read More>>>....

Miliband’s Bonkers Solar Blunder

 Last week, Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero launched a new policy: “Rooftop solar for new builds to save people money.” The idea is that by “unleashing a rooftop revolution… a typical existing UK home could save around £530 a year from installing rooftop solar”. This, said Miliband in news interviews and his trademark social media skit, is “just common sense”. Once again, however, the economics underpinning the Government’s interpretation of “common sense” is not so straightforward and requires a lot to be taken for granted – or simply ignored.

“Looking both ways before you cross the road,” explains the Secretary of State, “not leaving your house without your keys… brushing your teeth before you go to bed… and yes, putting solar panels on the rooftops of new homes. It’s just common sense.” “Cutting energy bills by hundreds of pounds,” he concludes, “who could possibly be against that?”...<<<Read More>>>...

The giant solar farm the size of Durham: Almost 3,000 acres of glorious Yorkshire countryside are to be carpeted with Chinese panels as tall as a double-decker…

 County Durham is set to welcome a new solar farm after plans were given the green light for a second time, following a legal issue. The solar development will sprawl across approximately 282 acres of land at Hett, near Spennymoor.

Lightsource bp’s proposal initially received approval from Durham County Council’s planning committee in May 2024, but was revisited due to claims that the output capacity of the development was misrepresented.

During a planning meeting on Wednesday, residents voiced their concerns about the large-scale site. Barbara Marinan, who has lived in Hett for 48 years, expressed her reservations: “I consider myself an environmentalist – a supporter of renewables and solar power – but only when approached sensibly. This project is not sensible. ”...<<<Read More>>>...