Renewable Energy Plan May Encounter Grid Capacity Issues, Warns Think Tank
A Welsh farmer is warning that ‘processed food is killing the nation,’ while an MP is cautioning that the ‘visual implications’ of solar farms are not being considered.
A think tank has issued a warning that the Labour party will face “inadequate grid capacity” after announcing a plan to speed up the construction of wind and solar farms in rural areas.
Daniel Zeichner, the shadow farming minister, wrote in The Telegraph last Thursday, stating that “Labour is the party that will deliver for rural Britain,” and the reforms would “put money into the pockets of thousands of farmers and landowners.”
Mr. Zeichner added, “We must also support farmers as they diversify their income streams and make use of land that is not suitable for food production—by enabling them to build renewable energy and plug into the National Grid faster.”
David Bean, parliament and government relations manager at the Countryside Alliance, a think tank focused on rural policy, stated, “Where renewable energy infrastructure is right for a particular site, it should be made possible to install and connect it quickly.”
Think Tank Warns of Inadequate Grid Capacity
However, Mr. Bean added, “The real issue facing rural energy producers and consumers is inadequate underlying grid capacity, and that will need to be addressed first.”
The Labour party’s proposal promises to drastically cut the current lengthy process for farmers to receive approval for green energy projects and their subsequent connection to the grid, claiming that it could reduce the wait time from years to just a few months.
Mr. Bean also responded directly to Labour’s promise of using non-agricultural land for renewable energy projects.
“Mr. Zeichner talked about using land that is not suitable for food production, and we will hold him to that intention … Prime agricultural land should not be built over with energy infrastructure: better to site it on existing industrial buildings.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s commitment to overcoming local opposition to green energy projects has sparked concerns among some rural communities and Conservative MPs.
‘Processed Food is Killing The Nation’
Welsh farmer, Gareth Wyn Jones, told The Epoch Times: “We need to protect our prime agricultural land for producing food. But government policies are pushing for solar panel farms, wind turbines, planting trees, taking away our opportunity to grow food in this country.”
“We can build a better Britain on our bellies. If we invest in our children by feeding them healthy seasonal food, we would have a massive saving of billions of pounds on the NHS, obesity, diabetes, and everything else that comes with overeating. Processed food is killing the nation.”
MP Warns of ‘Visual Implications’
Speaking to The Telegraph, Dr. Caroline Johnson, Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, raised concerns about the environmental and aesthetic impact of large-scale solar farms in rural areas.
“There are also visual implications for people who live in the countryside. Having solar panels in a few fields here and there is one thing, but a large solar farm is very unattractive and is essentially industrialising the landscape.”
The MP added, “We should be putting solar panels on top of homes, factories, and warehouses instead.”
