The Plains Solar Farm

The Plains Solar Electricity Generating Works + BESS belongs in PLANNING PURGATORY FOREVER as it’s yet another pathetic part of the despicable, Fake Green, Weather Dependent, RenewaBULL Solar/Wind, Energy Poverty Swindle that’s an ECOCIDAL catastrophe, ripping off & torturing everyday Australians, causing our Cost of Living Crisis, wrecking our future & plunging us all into Electrification Hell!

I Object & DO NOT CONSENT TO CONtrolling, Greedy Billionnaire Carpetbaggers, Vested Interests & Evil Bureaucratic Ideologues implementing their Blackout Nightmare of Stupidity that is the ANTITHESIS OF CARING FOR COUNTRY, NOT PROTECTING NATURE &
NOT FOR THE GREATER GOOD!

Only Ideological Blockheads/RenewaBULL Cultists would approve contaminating Industrialised Solar leaching numerous heavy metals including lead & filthy, hazardous BESS on Australia’s RU1 Primary Production Land - cursing our life sustaining soil, water & our children’s Intergenerational Equity with toxic contaminated wasteland!

It’s totally disingenuous of the Agricultural Impact Assessment author & Engie to pretend that this horrible Industrialised Electricity Generating Works + BESS has little impact on Agriculture, Nature or People when these ECOCIDAL, Toxic Contaminating Monstrosities are displacing Agriculture & cursing our rich soil heritage forever!

Continuing to run healthy, toxic free Merino sheep for meat/wool & cattle grazing on uncontaminated native rangelands & utilising irrigated cropping land is the healthy, Australian benefiting priority!

Approving this RenewaBULL JUNK is NOT ‘NATURE POSITIVE’ IT’S ‘AUSTRALIA NEGATIVE!’
Inflicting this MORAL HAZARD on the Hay Council/Community & people of Australia would be GROSS NEGLIGENCE:- “a lack of care that demonstrates reckless disregard for the safety or lives of others, which is so great it appears to be a conscious violation of other people's rights to safety.”

Australians deserve far superior, reliable, efficient, plentiful, affordable, secure, 24/7 Australian Coal, Gas & a clean, safe Nuclear Power future NOT CCP reliant, unethical Slave Labour based, Pathetic Power JUNK - reliant on cruelly tortured Uyghurs Slave Labour Supply Chains.

Besides being as UGLY AS SIN - blighting Hay’s iconic landscapes with a glaring visual amenity nightmare, ENGIE’s planned Public Health & Safety Risk undermines Australia’s Food Security, Independent Energy Security, Economic Prosperity & National Security.

References
**RenewaBULL Rip-Off
Preying on consumers because they can and fully aware the Government won’t chase them because they are part of the ISP.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-03/demand-power-tariffs-shock-to-australian-households/103913030

** CIS Energy Transition Masquerade: The $360 Billion You Pay - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0NKDozvO58

**Warnings Australia's energy transition 'out of control' as NSW market quietly melts down - ABC News - 26/05/24
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-26/nsw-market-meltdown-sparks-energy-transition-warning/103890282
'We'll lose the community'
Mr Dimery was more forthright. 
"That (the risk of blackouts) is an immediate issue we need to solve — no one will accept that in the Australian community and why should they," Mr Dimery said.
"The second question is about cost and efficiency.
"Again, I think … the government will lose the support of the community, we as an industry will lose the support of the community, if we can't manage this transition in a cost efficient way.
"And there is ample evidence right now that that is not the case."

**Leaching Via Weak Spots in Solar Panels
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348883160_Leaching_via_Weak_Spots_in_Photovoltaic_Modules

**Sediment Run-Off Contaminating Land/Water - Court Case -
“Created, Operated, and Maintained a Nuisance”
Solar farm runoff pollutes property, couple awarded $135 million - CFACT
https://www.cfact.org/2023/06/06/solar-farm-runoff-pollutes-property-couple-awarded-135-million/
By Bonner Cohen, Ph. D. |June 6th, 2023
25th Oct 2023 update …A federal judge has dramatically reduced a jury’s $135 million award to a Georgia couple (https://www.ajc.com/news/couple-awarded-135m-after-solar-project-turns-their-lake-to-mud-hole/BZ6BYXQREJCDROQV6ZASUW5WOI/)
Unsurprisingly, connected with this RenewaBULL Junk ruination is the Woke, virtue signalling, GREENWASHING  of the BIG TECH, BIG ENERGY USER DATA CENTRE:- 
'Solar development was built to serve a data center owned by the parent company of Facebook'

**The Starting Step for the Production Of Pure Silicon....SiO2 + C -> Si + CO2 ....IS the Heart of the Solar Panel!

**Every step in the production of Solar PV power systems requires an input of fossil fuels - as the carbon reductants needed for smelting silicon from ore, to provide manufacturing process heat and power, for the intercontinental transport of materials, and for on-site deployment.
https://www.azbackroads.com/around-the-west/rangefire-massive-amounts-of-coal-and-wood-must-be-burned-to-create-solar-panels/

** Coal’s Importance For Solar Panel Manufacturing – Watts Up With That?
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/05/23/coals-importance-for-solar-panel-manufacturing/

**200 Million Tonnes of Toxic Solar Panels Destined For Landfills Near You
stopthesethings.com

**Contamination from Galvanised Steel supports
 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/srbXaCbKgVXocgsm/?mibextid=xfxF2i 
 James Falcsik White County Indiana Residents Against Solar
21 h  · 
The hazardous materials that exist in solar panels receive a lot of attention out of concern they will leach out into the soil over time, especially if they are damaged by weather events. Has anyone considered what happens to the soil and ground water on a farm that is converted to thousands of acres of solar panels, with tens of thousands of buried ten-foot-long galvanized steel I-Beams driven into the soil to support the racking systems?
 
The 13-acre solar farm I worked on used more than 900 galvanized steel columns. Now I am an electrical guy, not a farmer or an agricultural specialist. The zinc coating of galvanized steel corrodes at a higher rate in soils with a Ph lower than 7.0. It gets more complicated when copper is present and the soil acts as an electrolyte. When galvanized steel corrodes it can leach cadmium, lead, and zinc into the soil. In fact, the EPA warns that “cadmium can be released to drinking water from the corrosion of some galvanized plumbing and water main pipe materials.” The USDA states “galvanized metal containers are not safe to serve food and drinks in. The acidity of the food or drink could dissolve the zinc coating allowing it to leach into the food or drink.” So, what happens to the rich agricultural soil that is made a pin cushion by all these galvanized steel columns that support solar panels for 25 years? Does this make a case for base line soil and ground water testing as part of solar zoning requirements BEFORE a solar developer starts to build, and periodic testing for the life of the solar facility? The solar developer should also bear the cost of this testing, not the taxpayer.

**BLOOD BATTERIES - THE DARK SIDE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES - Gravitas Plus YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHvq-8np1o

**THE DISTURBING REALITY OF COBALT MINING FOR RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES.
“CLEAN COBALT IS A FICTION – THERE IS NO CLEAN COBALT - IT'S ALL MARKETING!”
People need to get educated so they are agitated about it enough to do something to change this.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/mining/harvard-professor-explains-heartwrenching-source-of-electric-vehicle-iphone-batteries/news-story/db881f47c76db89581409c092a740c4c
Joe Rogan exposes sad truth about cobalt used in electric vehicle, iPhone batteries |news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site.
Cobalt is in all iPhones, tablets & crucially EV's - it maximises charge & stability.
Before anyone knew what was happening the Chinese Government & Chinese companies took control of almost all of the big mines in the Congo, with the local population displaced & the Congolese people under duress - digging in subhuman, gut wrenching conditions - using all raw human force - clanking the cobalt out of the ground!
Throughout the whole history of slavery, never has there been more suffering that generated more profit than was linked to more lives of people around the world than what is happening today in the Congo - mining cobalt in appalling, heart wrenching & dangerous conditions.

This project will ensure permanent loss of agricultural land, contribute to serious and irreversible impacts for native flora and fauna, cost taxpayers and electricity users and contribute to energy insecurity.

This project is not in the public interest.

Environmental disaster.

Massive footprint will ensure agricultural land is permanently contaminated. The only winner here is the developer while ever the Government continues the subsidy blackhole.

This is a disaster for vulnerable, protected and threatened species. While the government funds programs to save the plains wanderer it then removes plains wanderer habitat to contaminate land with solar panels.

This project will not produce base load affordable energy. This project will destroy agricultural land and native habitat.

Habitat Loss, Ecosystem Disruption Clearing an area of trees or other vegetation to install solar panels can have a significant impact on local ecosystems. In addition, the construction of roads and transmission lines necessary to support large-scale solar energy development can fragment habitats, disturb wildlife, and introduce non-native species.
Water Use as much as 20 gallons per megawatt hour.
Exposure to hazardous materials
Solar Panel Waste
According to some estimates, there could be as much as 78 million tons of solar panel waste by 2050 globally.

Please find attached opposing submission.

I Demand a International Inquiry into Solar Panels On our Planet Earth future Farmlands, Threatened by :
Rubbish.
Plastic, an Issue on a Planet, Uncared for, yes.
Plastic Plastic Plastic on Food Production regions where they have been Enabled by Particular Individuals in our government, who are Unaware of what they're Doing to Environment Farmland, and Future Generations Farmlands.

Cease and Desist Every Single proposal for Solar Farms Immediately. I Demand this. I Demand this. I Demand this. I Demand this.

I Demand an International Inquiry Immediately because Our Future Prime Agricultural Lands are Under Threat you see, you see, do you ?

So you don't ?

How come ?

What Are you Doing to The People Farming and Objecting To The Insanity being Solar Farms On Prime Agricultural Land and Future Generations Farmlands.

We Must Object Object Object Object Object Object to Solar Farms in Australia and Worldwide that are positioned on Food Production areas, For Gods Sake.

I have to say our government, Australian, and State, and Local, and International, are Insane, and Unable, Unable, Unable to Manage their own Nation's Farmland, they are Dependent upon. Dependent upon. Dependent upon.

God. Wake Them Up, the employees in government enabling the Future Farmlands the Plastic Toxic Future.

Cease and Desist The Plains Solar , Hay , Immediately. And Do So. And Do So. Jesus Christ, Wake Up, and Do So. What are you Doing to Our Nation, a Dry Continent, that Will Need, Will Need, Will Need Prime Agricultural Land as Prime Agricultural Land Forever for Next 8 Generations, For Your Information, my government, enabling the Plastic Toxic Future Farmlands we will Not be farming hey, but but but but but but will be Needing by 2022.

Get It ?

Do you ?

What happened in 2019 ?

What happened in 2019 ? You don't understand do you ? Dear oh Dear.

God. Please Cease and Desist Solar Farms Now.

Please.

Please.

We are missing something, aren't we , government.

Rooftops.

Rooftops. Hey Hey,Hey Hey Hey, put the Solar Panels on them, And So Do, For Gods Sake, and Get them Off Off Off Off Our Farmlands, For Gods Sake, For Gods Sake.

I am Observing Insanity in my government and into World Fools in government, declaring our Farmlands available for Infrastructure, Toxic, yes.

Insane they are.

They are Insane. It's Insanity what you offer us Now and Future Generations When,NB, when NB,When When When You Can Put Solar Panels On Rooftops Only, and it will ALL be Finished in 3 years. What ? Electricity to every home, where Every Rooftop in Australia has Solar Panels upon them, and Farmland will be Spared. Spared. Spared, able to Grow Food Forever. And Forever means Forever.

I Do Demand an International Inquiry into Solar Farms On Our Prime Agricultural Land you see. It's Insane you see to do this to Country that grows Food.

God. One day the ones supporting Renewables On Country will be quite Aware of their Error, Error, in supporting Harm and Loss to Environment All On Country Environment Prime Agricultural Lands, needed by Australia, and Australians.

Cease and Desist The Plains Solar Hay Now. Now. Now. Now . Now.

Lead. Oh God. Lead. Found in the vicinity of Solar Farms. Lead. Lead. It is a Toxic substance. Why aren't you Knowing that ?

You, you in there.

You. You in there, supporting Agenda Renewables.

I Demand an International Inquiry into Solar Panels en masse enabled on Prime Agricultural Land, Future Farmlands, Country, and Not on Rooftops Only ?

Offer Solar Panels to Every Australian Rooftop and let's Leave Food Production areas to grow Food please.

Rooftops Only please for Solar panels. Much more Intelligent don't you think ?

I wonder at our government in Australia and Worldwide you see. I do wonder at them. I wonder what they're Doing to Planet Earth you see. All I view is a Increase in Harm and Loss to Environment All On Country Environment, when there's No need to do that. No need. No need. No need. Rooftops Only please, for Solar panels. C'mon, Care for Country and All On Country and Put Solar Panels On Rooftops Only Now From Now.

I object to the loss of any agricultural land and bushland for this solar project.
The cumulative loss across NSW from wind, solar, hydro dams, BESS & transmission lines etc is unacceptable.
A transition to unreliable industrial solar is prohibitively expensive and won’t work.
Australians power prices are going through the roof & our last remaining industries are heading OS due to this madness.
I am concerned about impact on surrounding landowners ability to get property insurance with the increased fire risk.
There must be a condition of consent that solar panels are not sourced from slave labour sources.
There must be regular soil testing for contamination.
There must be tracking of solar panel disposal.

Out of human tragedy beyond belief, CA4SE was formed. Since that time, with no government funding, we have been able to put well over 200 people through a suicide prevention program, as well as conduct mental health days at our high school every year. On top of that, our response to a phone call is usually met face to face within 15 minutes. Although we've had a few suicides in the last 14 years, we believe that in the main we have stopped many.

Funding in the bush is often hard to get. The commitment from ENGIE to our organisation has been tremendous in that it will allow us to further commit our resources to the community of Hay.

The use of graft and corruption is often a way of achieving goals. The commitment from ENGIE in no way suggests this way of doing business.

It is enlightening when a company commits to the people of the bush, as it is a rarity. If successful in their endeavours, I am positive that they will continue to support this great Riverina town.

I object to this project. This plan is brought to us by someone who is benefiting and doesnt have to deal with the destruction it will cause on the environment and people.

The proposed development of The Plains Solar Farm in the Hay community brings several significant benefits:

Economic Growth: The project will create local employment and contractor opportunities during both construction and operation. This increased economic activity will benefit the local economy by supporting businesses and livelihoods.
Cleaner Energy: By harnessing solar resources, The Plains Solar Farm contributes to the transition toward cleaner energy sources.
Social Cohesion: The project to date has fostered community engagement through information sessions, consultations and investing in many community programs.
Skilled Workforce: The Plains Solar Farm will introduce a new skilled workforce to the community. This scale of development represents an exciting opportunity for Hay, bringing expertise and growth that hasn’t been seen before.

Overall, The Plains Solar Farm development promises positive impacts on the environment, economy, and social fabric of the local community, making it a valuable endeavour for Hay and its residents.

Submission objecting to The Plains Solar Farm and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) being allowed to be built and it should be declared a controlled action.
The proponents of Battery Energy Storage Systems claim that “The intermittent nature of wind and solar resources creates the need for ‘back-up’ capacity to support any supply gaps”.
This statement alone clearly sets out. That by their intermittent and unreliable nature of electricity production, (because of an unreliable supply of ‘weather’ fuel) solar farms and wind farms. Should never be considered as an economic or dependable electricity generator for supplying baseload electricity to a modern electricity grid. To add a BESS to the mix, does not produce one MWh of power and only increases the price to the end user. High prices do as much damage to economies as shortages of supply.
To explain why Solar panels will never be economic. Solar panels are powered by a weather fuel, Sunshine. At 12am, every day, the Solar fuel tank is empty and will remain empty for the next seven to eight hours, until the Sun rises at 7am or 8am. If the weather is fine there may be six hours of viable fuel (10am to 4pm) and a further three hours (8.30am to 10am and 4pm to 5.30pm) of less viable fuel available. For a total of nine hours of fuel availability. But even this is very uncertain, because of the presence of fog, overcast cloud cover and rain, the fuel tank can suddenly become empty at any time. The amount of fuel available may be reduced to four hours or even on many Winter days, zero, with no electricity being produced. Beginning between 5pm and 6pm, the Solar fuel tank becomes empty and remains empty for the next fourteen or fifteen hours. This means the fuel tank that supply the solar panels is empty for a minimum of fifteen hours of everyday and could even be empty for the whole day, with no electricity being produced.
As for connecting The Plains Solar Farm into the Grid. Batteries alone can never produce any electricity. Batteries only take in surplus electricity and then release less than they take out. Therefor batteries are inefficient in storing electricity. As a Solar Farm has daily supply of fuel for only 40% of the day to generate electricity, the likelihood of there being a surplus to store is very uncertain and does not justify the cost of having the batteries. And will only increases the cost to the consumer.
I believe it would be highly irresponsible to grant a planning permit or allow construction of The Plains Solar Farm Project, as rather than being able to make a positive contribution to the Grid, its inclusion would be totally negative and uneconomic.
Further points of objection.
1. Consisting of so much compact electrification, The Plains Solar Farm will create an extreme fire hazard to surrounding areas, particularly on a Total Fire Ban Day with the temperature at 43dC and a NW wind blowing at 50km/hr. Being so tightly packed together it would almost be impossible to contain a fire started within The Plains Solar Farm perimeter. The fact that burning Lithium batteries give off a very toxic smoke, fighting the fire would be very dangerous for fire fighters. The surrounding land owners should be very concerned about their welfare.
2. If a fire was to occur the risk of soil contamination, would be very great. With unknown consequences.
3. If it should be approved to be built, then it should be mandated that The Plains Solar Farm and BESS have a Public Liability policy to cover fire and other possible damage to surrounding areas of at least $500million to $1billion.

4. Unless The Plains Solar Farm puts up a restoration bond, there will be nothing stopping the owners from walking away and leaving the local Council and community with a very expensive noxious, Junkheap, that will desecrate the whole area.
For the above reasons I strongly believe The Plains Solar Farm and BESS should be declared a controlled action and never be allowed to proceed.

I object. Unreliable energy resource with a short lifespan and cant be recycled. Does more damage to the environment, endangered wildlife and their habitat. Ruining communities which will not benefit from this project.

Renewables have failed everywhere in the world and electricity is unaffordable. Solar panels work less than 10 hours a day and Wind is unknown.
Solar panels and Wind turbines last less that 25 years and cannot be recycled. It will be a disaster.

The Plains Solar Hay 450 MW BESS
I strongly object to this major 450mw BESS proposal going ahead due to the impacted vulnerable and threatened species by this major Solar BESS development includes:
Koala – Endangered
Masked Owl - Breeding
Pink tailed Legless Lizard - V
Australian Bustard BC Act – Endangered
Curlew Sandpiper – CE
White Bellied Sea Eagle – V
Litte Eagle (Breeding) – V
Swift Parrot – E
Southern Bell Frog – (BC Act Endangered)
Major Mitchels Cockatoo – Breeding – V
Plains wanderer (Breeding) – Critically Endangered
A spear-grass - Austrostipa wakoolica - V
Claypan Daisy – Brachyscome muelleroides – V
Mossgiel Daisy – Brachyscome – V
A burr -daisy – Calotis morrei – E
Bindweed – Convolvulus (BC Act E)
The Black Falcon – Falco subniger
Redthroat – Pyrrholaemus brunneus
Spotted Harrier Circus assimilis
Yellow bellied Sheath – Saccolaimus flaviventris
White-fronted Chat – Epthianura albifrons
Southern Myotis – Myotis Macropus
Southern Whiteface – Aphelocephala leucopsis

I think the environment and the hydrology of district will be effected dramatically by covering so much land

Submission attached

Solar Projects will generate sporadic large quantities of power, but only when the Sun shines brightly. This is not at night, in the early morning, late evening, on cloudy days etc. It creates a problem for conventional power, which must be used to back it up no matter how it performs. This problem of occasional over-supply is known as the Duck Curve. Batteries are not a replacement because they can never last long enough. They are made in China using slave labour, the components are coal and silica fused at 1200 degrees usually in a coal-fired power plant. They consist of dangerous heavy metals, which are often sourced in African countries using child labour.

The wide open plains may not appear to be habitat for very much biodiversity, but are in fact home to a plethoria of protected fauna, a few of which are as follows: Koalas (endangered), The Black Falcon (threatened), Little Eagle (vulnerable), Australian Bustard (vulnerable), Pink Tailed Lizard (vulnerable), and numerous other species.
Farming has co-existed with wildlife for generations in providing a reliable source of food to Australia's population. This Should not be threatened by unreliable wind and solar factories.
There are also long term contamination issues arising from leaking solar panels to be considered. Please see atteahed paper:

There are two general objections to net zero proposals to build more RE facilities.

1. The ABC of intermittent energy explains that the transition to wind and solar power is impossible with current storage technology.
See attached and also https://www.flickerpower.com/index.php/search/categories/general/list-of-briefing-notes

2. A resolution at the last UN COP conference stated that the pursuit of net zero should not be done at the expense of productive agricultural land for food production.

This project is in direct threat to 2 endangered species the planes wanderer and the painted snipe.
There has been other land purchased supposedly to relocate the planes wanderer. It’s a flightless bird that wanders around the planes. I don’t think it will know it has to pack its bags and move.
Agricultural land should be kept for food production not to be industrialised and become a wasteland.