PLANS to build a solar facility on a dairy farm at Lower Mount Walker have been mothballed – for now at least.
Libra Energy originally sought approval for its stage 1 plans for 217,000 rotating solar panels at the Blanch dairy farm on 540ha at 108 Blanchs Road.
But solar bosses confirmed that idea is off the table for now.
The said their focus now is on building a 850MW/3400MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) pack on Ross and Steve Blanch’s block.
Libra Chairman Rod Stephenson and Director Chanan Deluya insist the solar backflip was because of a solar power glut causing prices to fall and had nothing to do with public hostility to the proposal on productive farming land.
“Due to excess solar power being generated in Queensland, it is essential to proceed with a large battery to soak up the excess daytime electricity,” Mr Stephenson said.
“With so much solar being generated in Queensland, we need initiatives that help boost storage capacity in the energy grid.
“Queenslanders have installed rooftop solar with the expectation of reducing the cost of their own energy usage and selling excess generation into the grid.
“Grid-scale batteries are necessary to ensure Queenslanders can continue to sell their excess energy into the grid.
“We will all benefit from the BESS, it’s a win-win for everybody.
“The last thing a developer wants is to have a fight against its own community.”
Lower Mount Walker residents voiced anger earlier this year that the landscape would have been blighted by a sea of panels across Rosewood, Ashwell, Tallegalla, and out beyond Lower Mount Walker and Mount Forbes.
The dairy farm, situated on known koala habitat, and along part of the Scenic Rim drive, has four protected ti trees on adjacent blocks and is abundant in birdlife.
Homeowners feared property values would drop off a cliff if the solar proposal got up.
“This ridiculous plan would ruin so many people’s lifestyles and create so much divisiveness,” one resident commented.
Scenic Rim State MP Jon Krause said community feeling against the project caused it to stumble.
He highlighted that the solar plan at the farm could return in the future.
“The pressure from local community members, backed by me, has clearly worked, as Libra Energy has informed me that they are putting their proposal to put a solar factory over hundreds of hectares in Lower Mount Walker on the shelf, for now,” he said.
“I have been informed about their new proposal to install over 500 battery units, each in a shipping-like container.
“As this is a new proposal, I will be taking the time to find out more and hear what locals think about it.
“We need affordable, reliable energy for our farmers, families and small businesses – that’s my priority.”
If the council signs off on the Bremer Battery Project, the BESS could be up and running by 2027.
Meanwhile, the Italian government has other perspectives on solar panel for farms.
It has just issued an edict completely banning solar on agricultural land.
“The Italian government has issued a new decree that prohibits the deployment of large-scale solar plants on productive agricultural land,” Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said.
“The final aim of the decree is to ‘avoid desertification’ of Italian agricultural land.
“We wanted to regulate the use of photovoltaic panels, and we believe that the land serves to produce, and energy production must be compatible with agricultural production.”
