Biggest solar scheme approved

I undertand that plants can grow under the solar panels and in some places sheep can graze under them. If this is correct then the land would not be wasted. Depends on the height of the panels.

To the previous question - it snowed in Newport last winter - I'l'll find the dates for you if you really need to know when.

Its rather ironic that this gets the go ahead, while wind turbines get turned down. PV farms have a much greater impact on the environment than wind turbines because, by their very nature, they cover the land they are built on such that nothing can grow beneath them.

Whether you are for or against either PV or wind power, the lack of real opposition to this development suggests that the real concern of the anti-wind brigade is to do with offending their sensibilities rather than any real concern for the environment.

In my view if something is a good thing then it should be done, if it is a bad thing it should NOT be done. Is the photovoltaic park a good thing or a bad thing? If it is a good thing that it delivers electricity it to one house is that a good thing? if it is, then shouldn't an enlarged version be built to supply electricity to every household on the island? If that happened the area of photovoltaic panels needed for the 61,500 households would be 1,845 acres! NOW is it a good thing?

Mike..its you who spout nonsense and have done for at least the last 10 years. It is a wonderful world..shame you have to moan so much about it

sigh!!!! head in the sand anti green energy conspiracy nutters winging about subsidies waiting for the lights to go out, desperatly repeating the failed mantra of 'no such thing as global warning' (what that has to do with peak oil and the absolute neccesity of alternative energy production.
The only blight on this Island are people who cant see past their blinkers and see that we all must shere the responsibilty for energy production ..even here on the Island ... and hope and pray that science can come up with new scemes for energy production or perfect the ones we have...and until then we must look at solar farms and turbines for 25 years...a small cost for the future of our children.

Yvonne, I must have missed it last winter, could you tell me when it snowed?

I'm not sure about global warming. Years ago it was extremely rare to get snow on the island. 1963 is etched in memories and island history books. The last three winters (at least) have had snow here so perhaps. the climate is changing but colder and wetter. Who knows?
I love the island and feel very sad that it is changing at a rapid pace and not always for the better. Years ago (efore M&S) the island and ndependent traders fought very hard against mainland shops and stores setting up here. Now look, huge grey boxes and big empy shops in Newport town centre. Progress is not always successful. Lets try and keep the island a beautiful place for all of us. .

well said Mr.Crowe, this,Turbines..etc are all just part of one of the biggest SCAMS in history, Global Warming, you are all being fleeced for "GREEN" taxes to just make money for the elite and futher your brainwashing and the destruction of our countryside

You're spot on, David Shoulder. The current approach to renewable energy - which is clearly a good thing - is so piecemeal in the UK and so often smacks of short-term opportunism rather than long-term planet-saving. Like you say, the whole energy strategy needs to be planned properly, not left to private chancers fighting over spare scraps of land to make a quick buck while the subsidies are there.

http://www.bnrg.ie/

I have been thinking. Yes I know that's a strange thing to do, but perhaps someone can explain something to me. Don't set the speakers too high so the explanation goes over my head, but this is what I see.

The question is .. "Why is everybody hell bent on ruining tourism?""

Wighlink winding up their Fishbourne to Porstmouth service and selling off two desirable plots of land.

Applications to put those dreadful windmills everywhere, both on land and in the sea within sight.

And now a (It has got to be Seven Point Five, not SEVENTY FIVE Acre) massive eyesore to blight what "was" this beautiful Island.

As I explained before, no it is not in my back yard.

Please please PLEASE, stop these massive ugly eyesores. You are spoiling the Island.

If you want these dreadful blots on the landscape, move to an inner city with all their factories and offices ............................. then come to the Island for your holidays and appreciate the UNSPOILT

Another example of a piecemeal energy policy. Small unattractive schemes that blight the landscape for little real benefit. The schemes are heavily subsidised by the tax payer and often the motivation is little more than a money making scheme for a developer who can't quite get permission to build houses on the land. The wind turbine is going to appeal. How many more opportunists are going to blight the landscape with their cottage schemes before we realise our green energy need will have to come from more economic large scale production sited in areas with much less environmental impact - of which offshore is favourite. We need a strong central government lead on this. (ps our major industry is tourism based on the Islands natural beauty!)

Why would birds collide with them? Are they invisible?

Would someone please clarify whether this is a bona fide self funding commercial project or is any electricity produced merely a by product of milking the taxpayer of a large amount of money like wind farms do?

Ian Armstrong if you think solar energy uses no fuel you have a few things still to learn. Have a look at how much energy is used in the making of the panels and how long they last and, last but not least, how often and for how long they will be providing significant amounts of energy. 75 acres will be covered in them to provide electricity for 2,500 houses. So should the whole of the island be covered in them to provide electricity for ALL the houses?

Mr Justice- as usual you've managed to concoct your rant using the largest amount of reverse logic I've come across!! Nothing green here??!! Eh? Solar energy IS green because it uses no fuel. I'm also guessing that this proposed developement is right outside your front door?

I'm not finished yet! Graeme Egerton's got it spot on- if birds flying into things is such a massive world-changing environmental disaster of such epic proportions then we should also be banning windows, glass, cars, buses, lorries, buildings, people, trees, cows, horses and all other objects that could get in the way of a flying bird! In short this is a brilliant win for alternative energy production. Don't worry Mr Justice, there's still enough fuel for your giant gas guzzler to run on so you can drive in luxury spreading your pointless ramblings. Me? I don't own a car, I use a bicycle ;-)

What a terrible waste of the countryside. Totally unnecessary - these schemes are all about making money, there's nothing green here - just ugly panels wrecking the vista. A total waste of taxpayers hard-earned. Gesture politics at its worst.

I think it's great news. A real step in the right direction. Solar energy is not THE answer, it's ONE of the answers (sorry to do the capital letters thingy). I can't claim to be an expert and experts themselves will disagree I'm sure, but it seems to me that we should make the best of all available technologies. One thing: why do we assume birds will always fly into green energy installations and not houses, flats, et cetera ?

will the birds bother to report any collisions they have and who do they contact lol

At last common sense rears its head if this works it could lead to other power sources being tried ,we must get our heads out of the sand and try these measures or how will we progress ,
Gas & electricity were frowned upon when first introduced as a non starter .At least this is a positive move instead of just talk talk talk.

"""removed after 25 years"" .........!!!

Panic folks.The sun goes out in 25 years time .....

Should have invested in tidal power .... that will go on for ever, twice every 24 hours

Ooh 2500 homes wow....

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