Glenellen Solar Farm

Whilst I do believe in regenerative energy and understand the importance of projects such as these, I don't believe it is best located in an area such as Glenellen where the environmental and social impacts of such a development are yet to be tested.

This Solar Farm should not impede on the residents of neighbouring properties. Many of the neighbours within the area are small hobby farm type blocks. These residents have established homes in an area where they were looking for a quiet, rural life. To now be burdened with an industrial development is grossly unfair.

I also question the environment impact of the solar panels over their lifespan, water run off management, bush fire management, clean up of site at completion of project and actual employment opportunities.

However, my greatest concern is the loss of productive agricultural land that is both suitable for farming and grazing, intensive agriculture. These projects must be built in areas that are not suitable for intensive agriculture. Australian agriculture must be protected to ensure the future of our country.

as a Jindera local resident and solar farm proponent I believe solar panels and grazing sheep is a great combination .Energy ,food and fibre all off the same land

I have been living on Drumwood Road Jindera for the last 7 years and have enjoyed the peace and quiet that this location provides for me and my pets. The thought of an industrial type development right on my door step literally (only 50 metres away) fills me absolute horror. I understand that the solar panels with be 5 metres high which I believe will be an absolute blight on the landscape. I am very concerned for my welfare both physical and mental due to the stress of noise, dust and greatly increased traffic movements. Jindera is a quiet frinedly little village and I believe this industrial type project will destroy it. I most strongly object to this proposal.

I fully support the project as an electrician I believe solar farms are the way forward

As the owner of a farm in the local area, I strongly object to so called "Solar Farms" being built on prime agricultural land, undoubtedly some of the best farming land in NSW, as evidenced by drought in recent years, when they could be situated on drier, more arid areas of the state. The land in these areas is of less agricultural value, with less rainfall, therefore more sunlight, not prone to foggy days, which are prevalent in this area during winter, thus make power generation more efficient. There would be far less trees to be removed than in this area, and large areas could be used at considerably lower rental costs.
WE NEED TO RETAIN THE GOOD FARMING LAND IN AREAS SUCH AS THIS TO GROW FOOD FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
I believe solar plants should not be considered in areas so closely populated as this, and nearby property values will be considerably reduced, as confirmed by a number of local real estate agents.
NSW rural Fire Service has confirmed that solar plants create a greater fire risk, and we also hear evidence of heat transmission to nearby properties.
We are concerned of damage to our local roads with the greatly increased heavy traffic on roads not built for that purpose.
We also hear and see evidence of problems from water run off on established solar plants.
There will be loss of local habitat with large mature trees being removed.
These projects are causing major divisions in the local communities, and making life uncomfortable for a considerable number of people.
This project will be of no benefit to anyone in this community, except the land owner, who will be paid an outrageous rental fee, thus making electricity charges far higher than need be.
As landowners in the area, we too were approached by a solar company to check if we were open to solar panels being placed on our land. We informed them that we were certainly not sacrificing our farmland for such a purpose, nor were we going to place panels in close proximity to our neighbours.

This project will provide a reliable, clean energy source to the community with minimal disruption.
It will reduce both reliance on non renewable energy sources and carbon emissions.
Proposal indicates land will remain grazeable.
Proposal provides an opportunity to support innovative use of suitable land and local employment.
Solar has been our preferred energy source for over a decade.

I would like to object to this project, my husband I live on the Glenellen Rd and if it went ahead it would mean that lots of trucks will be using this road. It is a narrow road and it would be highly dangerous for the local people with so many trucks using it. It would mean a lot of polluition coming from the trucks.
At the end of the day when they come to the use by dates (approx 20 years) what happens to the solar panels they would be no good for the environment at this stage.
This project will devalue all of the homes and farms around the area.

I Kaye Moll do here by state my objections to the development of a 200MW solar farm and associated infrastructure namely the “Glenellen Solar Farm”.

1. The project will desecrate some of the most fertile sustainable agriculture farm land in our immediate area.

2. Removal of some very valuable established paddock trees and research shows that very large trees are likely to contain large hollows that are important habitat for threatened species also it must be considered that vulnerable land is considered particularly sensitive to severe erosion with tree removal and rain water runoff.

3. The infrastructure needed for this project will clog up our local roads and disrupt daily life and bring emotional stress and angst into our community.

4. This appears to be a foreign based company and is ignorant and farming community and has no idea of the values and principles local people have.

5. This project will no doubt have a negative impact on the township of Jindera and will devalue land prices immensely.

My name is Joan Laing a resident of Albury.

I have friends in Jindera and visit frequently. Besides being inundated with the local farmers and other residents worries about this proposed solar farm I am all for renewable energy – BUT this smacks of the usual large conglomerate over riding the peacefull and law abiding residents of a small country parish.

It should not go ahead in this area.

Here are some of my points ………………………………..


INCLUSIONS ….. include among other things

Site office, staff amenities, parking area, perimeter fencing, and CCTV.


1. IF THIS and all the rest ISN’T industrial scale on prime agriculture land I don’t know what is



The panels would sit on steel frames attached to pile driven supports. This will allow sheep to continue to graze in and around them once the solar farm is operational ensuring ongoing agricultural use of the land and also good control of vegetation.


2. ONE of your feel good PR stunts …………….. we see it for what it is



• Reduced GHG emissions, assisting the transition towards cleaner electricity generation.
• Provision of a renewable energy supply that would assist the Australian and NSW
• Governments to reach Australia’s LRET and other energy and carbon mitigation goals.
• Embed electricity generation supply into the Australian grid, closer to identified consumption centres.
• Diversification of land use and economic activity in regional NSW.
•
3. FINE sentiments – you sound just like a politician would sound - JUST NOT IN THAT AREA IN JINDERA








The Proposal would enhance electricity reliability and security.

4. AND alter prime agricultural land for good


Household electricity bills increased 61% between 2008-09 and 2012-13, due mainly to network expenditure. Australian households would pay $510 million more for power in 2020 without renewable growth through the RET and up to $1.4 billion more per year beyond 2020. Renewables increase diversity and competition in the wholesale energy market – and as in any market, more competition means lower prices.


5. MORE politician speak – I have been paying my electricity bill for years and years and NEVER has it ever been REDUCED because some solar farm or politician says it would be. I am still waiting for my $500 reduction that Tony Abbott promised




Several studies on the impacts of increased large-scale renewable energy generation under the RET have indicated that this is likely to put downward pressure on electricity prices.


THERE we have it …….. the word LIKELY ……. Now you are almost telling the truth



I applaud your company and your renewable energy position. This is a “wide brown land” and there would be numerous places more suitable than this prime agricultural land, within close proximity to a new housing development, in the small community hub that is Jindera. I know costs would be increased the further you go from the power lines but I am presuming you would be making a profit out of this enterprise and I am sure that your modelling would show that you could absorb them

I support the Glenellen solar farm, as its sustainable agriculture and addressing climate change. Solar energy is a clean, safe and renewable source of energy, pollution free and causes no greenhouse gases to be emitted after installation. It will help to reduce carbon emissions and create clean energy that doesn’t harm the environment. It is better for Australia to have solar clean energy instead of sources such as fossil fuels and coal. Additionally it will be good for the wider community creating much needed employment.
The project appears to be well planned and will benefit the environment as well as the local community, it is suitable because of the large substation at Jindera that actually adjoins the site and will allow the power that’s generated to reach the grid.
This solar farm will not be lost to agriculture as it will still be grazed with sheep under and around the panels. The grass will not dry out as fast and will stay green longer because the ground will be shaded by the panels. By using this land for the dual purpose of farming the Sun and farming sheep is a much better use than having the land subdivided for a housing estate to be built.

I support the development application for the construction of the Glenellen Solar Farm for the following reasons:
- it will provide power for up to 83,000 homes with clean, green renewable energy.
- the site location is well suited for solar development, as the land surrounds the Jindera Substation, joining it on 3 sides, is open and reasonably flat to gently undulating, ideal for the placement of solar panels.
- Glenellen Solar Farm aims to operate as a blend of both agriculture and solar, an Agri-solar business. This development will increase the production level of the land enormously, producing not only solar energy, but also agricultural levels of meat and wool from the sheep that will be grazed under the solar panels.
- Another exciting innovation being investigated is potentially growing some form of crops/lucerne between the well- spaced solar panels, increasing the land efficiency even further.
- Everyone has heard of climate change by now – the scientific evidence is undeniable. Australia must transition to sustainable and renewable energy use – Glenellen Solar Farm will contribute towards achieving the goal of green energy.
- These renewable energy developments are the way of the future and must be embraced – as they benefit everyone, both present and future generations

As the owner of a small business in Jindera the additional traffic and people travelling through the town will be a benefit to all the businesses in the town. This will bring additional business to the town. Clean energy is the future and we need to be forward thinking if we want to benefit from this and see our future generations benefit also. I believe it is sustainable farming and support progress in our region and surrounds when it comes to clean energy. This will see our community lead the way for future clean energy projects and is proactive in addressing the climate change challenges.

I support the Glenellen solar farm as it is a clean, safe and renewable source of energy addressing climate change. Australia needs to become more environmentally friendly reducing the reliance on sources such as fossil fuels and coal for our future.

I support the Glenellen solar farm as it is perfectly located right next to the Jindera substation. Solar energy is a clean, safe renewable source of energy, to help the reduction of carbon emissions. It will be a great use of the land for both solar energy and agricultural for sheep rather than chopping up the land into small lots and building houses.

I support the Glenellen solar farm, solar energy is a clean, efficient source of energy, to help address the issue of Climate change. It is better for Australia to have clean energy rather than fossil fuels and coal. It will also be good for the area creating employment.

I object to the project because I believe it will have an impact on our children in the street with the rise in traffic , this is a nice quiet street and we do not wish for it to be ruined

We object to the project because we believe it will have massive impacts to our children and children in our area/ estate. Our children love being outside and keeping active and we believe this project will make it unsafe for us to do so due to the huge volumes of traffic predicted. Our son also catches the bus and safety around getting on and off the bus in this area is very concerning.

I support the development application for the construction of the Glenellen Solar Farm for the following reasons:
-The solar farm will provide a safe and chemical free rural investment for a healthier environment with long term benefits to the local area and Albury – Wodonga residents.
-The Glenellen Solar Farm will assist in stabilizing the local electrical grid in times of high usage from customers during extreme heat waves when everyone turns on their air conditioners to keep cool, and during midwinter when everyone is cranking up their heaters to keep warm thereby using peak levels of electricity.
- There will be a vermin-proof fence around the solar farm stopping stray dogs and foxes from killing the sheep and lambs.
-The solar panels will provide cover and protection for the lambing ewes – this will be a win – win for sheep husbandry.
-The solar panels will be set apart an appropriate distance to enable the growing of Lucerne for hay and pasture.
-Recently, the Greater Hume Shire Council has kindly voted to pass the Glenellen Solar Farm – what a great idea!

I oppose the proposed development of the Glenellen Solar Farm due to - productive nature of agricultural land around Jindera being lost, property values around Jindera dropping, I have property within eyesight of the development and are extremely concerned about the appearance of the solar farms and the ensuring glare reflecting up the hill to our house, the devaluation of our farm land due to the enormous eyesore it will be from our property, concerns around potential increase in ground level temperature increasing, the view from in front of our house being ruined, non local company profiting from our land and development.

Myself and my family are strongly apposed to the proposed infrastructure changes. My partner backs directly on to the proposed farm and my children often walk Lindner road to be able to visit the farm. The entire nature and environment of the area is going to be significantly impacted beyond repair by this proposal.

Literally had the project manager stand in front of me and say "I recommend you don't use Lindner Road, you should come in another way"... how appalling to be told basically they want that road to themselves and it will be theirs only.. This is what the project is managed like before its even approved.

There is a complete lack of responsibility by the developers to those directly impacted from all aspects including safety, VISUALLY and FINANCIALLY impacts.

To look across a beautify pasture and panoramic landscape with the thought that it means NOTHING.. This "GREEN ENERGY" is so contradictory that its proposed that 100+ gum trees over 100yr old get cut down for "greener" energy and the considerable effect on the local environment is disregarded for the sake of investment and profit.

Id ask anyone including counsellors that may be "for" this proposal to actually make an effort to go see these proposed lands, visit the residents that actually back on to the property and ask yourself would you accept this for yourself? For your Children? For your loved ones? You have a responsibility to all these families.