Burroway Solar Farm

Construction of this solar farm and the required infrastructure will destroy the environment communities and leave us with a waste dump of solar panels that cannot be viably recycled.

Destruction of the Australian environment by companies that have viable plans for recycling panels.
Our countryside will be a toxic waste dump.
The devastation caused by the construction of these sites and the unreliable transmission lines that connect them to the cities is a catastrophe.

This project should NOT proceed. The Narromine Shire already has more than its fair share of renewables.

We are an agricultural shire. We produce food to feed the nation and earn export dollars. We cannot do that if prime agricultural areas are used for wind and solar projects. The land is permanently contaminated and that affects farmers’ ability to earn a living as most buyers are not interested in produce that carries contamination or the risk of contamination. This contamination by ‘forever chemicals’ is permanent. There is no known way to rehabilitate farmland that has been contaminated. The farmland that Australia has now is all we are ever going to have. No one is making more land. It is up to us to protect and cherish the land we have, not only for ourselves but future generations. Do you want to leave your children and grandchildren a toxic legacy?

Solar and wind projects need to be located on areas of unproductive land in order to minimise their impact on agriculture. Also, in the case of solar projects, in the cities so they are near their consumers. This has the added bonus of minimising power lines and maintenance. There are numerous examples of ingenious ways other countries are incorporating solar panels into city life such as on the rooftops of supermarket carparks. We are supposed to be the clever country so why aren’t we utilising clever solutions? Destroying prime farmland is beyond dumb.

It is not only the farmers whose land is used for the turbines or solar panels who are affected. Their neighbours are negatively impacted as well when they face problems such as transmission lines being in corridors that they cannot access running through the middle of their properties. Earlier this year, I met a farmer in his 70’s, who through no fault of his own, found himself in this predicament. He had a corridor through the middle of his sheep property that he couldn’t access. This meant that he had to drive approximately 30kms around on the highway to access the other half of his farm. This is an untenable situation. Farmers need to be able to access all areas of their farm, multiple times a day depending on the season. Having to move sheep for shearing or checking ewes during lambing is an absolute nightmare in these conditions. And imagine the extra stress and danger of moving heavy cropping equipment on busy roads several times a year. Suddenly you need to register all of your equipment. Yet another expense that is outside your control. This poor man would not get what his property is worth were he to try and sell it. He told me he is too old to start over. Is this the way to treat people who have spent their entire lives feeding us?

The environmental impact on residents also needs to be considered. As previously stated, Narromine Shire already has numerous renewables projects. This is already causing angst in the community. Residents expect to have a rural vista when they live in a rural area. At the rate we are being inundated by renewable projects, there will be nothing but a man made landscape in our shire. This is intolerable and will take an immeasurable toll on mental health.
The impact on local flora and fauna also needs to be considered. Bird strikes are common and then there is damage from equipment bulldozing trees and habitats to make way for the turbines. Destroying habitat is ludicrous and will do nothing to help lower temperatures.

Current studies in places such as the UK suggest that further research into the noise emitted from turbines is required. I have been told that there is data to suggest a link between the turbines’ noise and the abortions of foals. We need to be sure of the science. We need to look after the welfare of humans and animals before anything else.

Bush fires are a major concern in rural areas such as ours. These wind and solar projects bring increased risks of fire and a reluctance on the part of firefighters to attend fires at these installations due to the possibility of toxic chemicals being emitted. This adds another layer of burden onto residents and farmers as many insurers are loathe to insure nearby properties because of the increased fire risk. That means insurance premiums go up on those around these projects despite them not receiving any compensation for this financial imposition. Some won’t be able to obtain insurance. And that, quite simply, is not fair. The Burroway Project will result in a short term cash grab for Edify and long term pain for the residents of Narromine Shire. Is that an acceptable outcome? It most definitely is not.

Traffic on our roads is another area of concern. Our roads are not up to the markedly increased traffic that would occur during the construction phase of this project. The roads will fall into disrepair and this will be another financial burden on the shire’s residents. It will also increase the likelihood of road accidents as residents face damaged roads and extra large vehicles on country roads that are not fit for that purpose.

Please don’t do this to our community. We deserve better than this.

Construction of this solar farm will destroy our valuable environment.
It is an intermittent system that is unviable to recycle.

Solar is not a green or reliable energy resource.
There is no viable system in place to recycle the panels.
Destroying productive land and the environment.

There is no viable recycling available for solar panels.
They are damaging the environment and future food production.
This is not a reliable or green energy source and is a blight on the landscape.

The pollution and contamination risk from solar panels means that this project should not be approved. Solar panels leach toxic and dangerous chemicals/compounds. See research from Stuttgart University which is attached.
The developer/operator should be required to provide and upfront financial undertaking for the decommissioning and remediation of the solar factory. It has been estimated that the cost of decommissioning is of the order of more than $300,000 per MW of panels. The decommissioning should not be left for the host landholder as the cost is far greater than the land value.

Battery storage systems have exploded in other regions, posing a severest to life, property and environment with toxic smoke being blown over the area for extended amount of time. This site need reassessed

I object to the solar and battery energy storage installation because it contradicts the Paris Agreement, which asserts that renewable energy expansion should not come at the cost of essential agricultural land. By prioritizing energy generation over prime farmland crucial for food production, this project jeopardizes the agricultural resources that sustain our community, nearby towns, cities, and the broader population. Converting acres of high-quality farmland into an industrial industrial energy generation sites go's against the principles of sustainability, placing profits and energy production above the land that provides food for our national and export. This project violates our right to protect and maintain agricultural productivity and food security.

I wish to place my objection to the proposal for the Burroway Solar Generating Works. I object on the grounds of land poisoning in the immediate and surrounding areas, The environmental impact and damage it will cause and the destruction of prime agricultaural land on and around the proposed site.
Thank you.

Wetlands near the Macquarie River could be at risk from run-off and construction related changes. The heavy metal runoff as the panels age.

Locals question, the rationale of replacing agricultural land, critical for food security, with industrial solar arguing its counterproductively goals.

Clearing land for panels may lead to soil, erosion and dust impacting air and soil quality

Loss of farmland and concerning over environmental changers can linking to anxiety and mental health struggles in tight rural communities commune.

Large amount of water we needed for construction, potentially straining, local resources. Where is the water going to come from for the workers camps? What measure have been put in place to mitigate this demand on water supply in a small rural area.

The solar installation could reduce the available grazing land for Marino sheep, affecting the local livestock operation. It is noted that sheep may be able to graze around the panels, but the panels block out the sun, and we all know that nothing grows without sunlight.

Battery storage systems have exploded in other regions, posing a severest to life, property and environment with toxic smoke being blown over the area for extended amount of time. What assurances can the construction company give the local. Has there been research in the area of energy generation?

Resident may fear, the project will lead to a reliance on external workers, rather create sustainable jobs for locals as most companies are not going to train locals they are going to bring in their own workers already experienced in construction of these installations.

Solar installations have been known to cause fatalities in the bird, mistaking panels for water impacting both global and migratory species.

Given the areas flat terrain and the project could alter natural water drainage increased food risk for nearby properties. The runoff and erosion from this many panel could be enormous. What research has been done in the area