IT will be fascinating to watch the public reaction to a solar farm being proposed on private land just north of Bathurst.
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French renewable energy company Neoen is behind the proposal to install a 200 megawatt solar farm it says would produce enough power for almost 100,000 homes and create more than 200 jobs during construction.
It's an exciting proposal - and a bold one. But we wonder if Neoen is anticipating much of a backlash from neighbours?
The solar farm being proposed for Eglinton is 50 per cent larger than the solar farm proposed by Photon Energy at Brewongle three years ago.
That development is still before the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment but opposition to it from nearby landholders has been well documented.
And that's a shame, because solar power seems such a good fit for our region. But any major development needs at least some level of support from the neighbours to be viable in the long term.
For its part, Neoen has some runs on the board. It has developed and operated solar farms at Dubbo, Griffith, Coleambally and Parkes, and says it wants to take a "no surprises" approach to its projects.
That's the reason the company has planned an informal drop-in session later this month to give community members the chance to learn more about the plan
"Community drop-in sessions are a great way to keep the community informed, meet members of the project team, ask lots of questions and take an information booklet home for friends and family," project manager Anne Frederic said.
"Community members will also have an opportunity to suggest a different name for the project and vote for their preferred name. Neoen ... will provide regular opportunities for input and updates as the project progresses."
That's a good start, but you can never be sure what the response will be until the proposal is made public.
The Brewongle experience suggests that even with strong community support it will be several years before the Eglinton solar farm is operational, but now is not the time for our region to be knocking back the potential for a multi-million dollar development without first giving it real thought.
And if this solar farm can go ahead, it can surely only be a good thing for our city - and the Earth.
What do you think?
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