A 190 hectare solar farm planned for the outskirts of Bathurst is an exciting development for the region.
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Photon Energy Australia is proposing to build the 129 MWp (megawatt peak) capacity solar power plant in Brewongle, about seven kilometres south-east of the city.
Once plans are approved, installation of the solar farm is expected to take 18 months and the power plant could be operational by early 2019.
Photon Energy says the farm will have the capacity to power 46,000 average Australian homes and save 223,161 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions annually.
They are certainly exciting numbers but the solar farm is not a goer yet.
A community consultation meeting in Raglan on Wednesday night will give some insight into support for this proposal.
The most likely objection will relate to the sizing of the proposed solar farm in what is something of a prime rural area.
There will also be concerns about the potential glare from the solar panels [though the developers say they have taken steps to minimise the risk] and there may also be questions asked about the suitability of a solar farm in an area not noted for its sun – particularly in the winter months.
The good news for the incoming crop of Bathurst councillors, though, is that it will not be their job to decide the solar farm's fate.
The development has been deemed a project of state significance meaning final approval will come from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
That's not good news for nearby residents, however, if there is a push to have the solar farm established somewhere else.
State officials are far less likely to be swayed by the emotive pleas of neighbours than would be the case if local councillors were making the decision.
The solar farm's future will come down to whether it meets state guidelines and you would have to think that Photon Energy has already ensured that was the case.
Bathurst should be proud to become a leader in the field of renewable energy.
The solar farm will not come with the noise concerns that a wind farm proposal might bring and nor does it pose a danger to local birdlife.
If this is the future of energy supply in Bathurst then we should welcome it.
In the end, though, we won't really get a say at all.