HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

I went on a coach trip today into Norfolk, and on the way I noticed several fields full of solar panels.

Can someone (like Stu ?) let me know if farmers find this more profitable than growing crops, and if it is easy to get "permission" to do this.

I have recently noticed that the fields are full of solar panels alongside the M4 between Bristol and London. Must be money in it.

Perhaps fields next to busy roads or motorways are too polluted by traffic fumes to grow food crops ?

Solar farms usually crop up on grade 3 and lower quality land as it is less productive. In such cases it can be more profitable than farming it traditionally. I suspect land next to motorways is not the best place to grow food. Land owners wouldn't do it unless it was at least as profitable as using it traditionally.

I don't think planning permission is a walk in the park. You are more likely to get pp if the land is low grade and near to an eye sore like an industrial estate or London village.

You can graze sheep in the field with the panels, but nothing bigger that could damage them. That helps with profitability. I receive a magazine caled Energy now which has some eye opening technology in it. Many farmers who have development windfalls are reinvesting in green energy etc to avoid capital gains tax. Biomass etc etc.

When you drive on the German autobahns you see a lot of these huge solar farms. Every local council there has to, by law, generate a certain percentage of green electricity - so these installations are mainly state-owned.

Our local council have grassed-over an old waste tip and put a couple of thousand solar panels on it .

When I was in the energy department of the Welsh Government and met with developers Germany was way ahead of everyone in solar energy. I have lost touch now, but from observations it has taken off here in recent years.

The only thing we are world leading at is thinking we are world leading.

As someone that has spent his working life banging nails in wood, my electrical knowledge is quite frankly shocking! But I am learning.
Now all these previous posts deal with electricity from the sun but what about electricity from water? Reading my grandsons school book it would appear that electricity is like a hosepipe with the length of pipe. flow rate and volume all playing a part.
So is that why I see my neighbours plugging in what look like hosepipes into their electric cars?
Isn't learning wonderful.