THE NEW ENERGY BOOM: The sun is shining on Alberta’s solar industry

[shtferbrains]

Don't have to work or even need the power they produce.
Solar farms shares are an easy sell. All the hype and promo is already done.
Government prints off some subsidy money and big CO2 producers like Amazon greenwash cheap.

Inflation will dry that scam up.

[furrowtickler]

How’s the lifespan of those solar panels?
Are the like some windmills at 50% at best ?

[shtferbrains]

This article is out of Ireland. They are further down the rabbit hole on goverment intervention.
Not sure you would see this printed in wide circulation farm paper here?
Last part is the best.



Farmer Focus: Carbon neutral and net zero – biggest scam yet
Richard Orr18 November 2021
© Steffan Hill© Steffan Hill
We have been filming on-farm for a TV production. I feel it’s so important to educate the public, but what makes the cut may be watered down.

It amazes me how ignorant people are about farming. I was told to talk “less farmer” and “more plain, simple, basic language” because the viewers won’t understand me!

About the author
Richard Orr
Richard Orr farms 160ha in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, with his wife and parents. He is an AHDB Monitor Farmer. Crops include wheat, oats, barley, potatoes and vegetables. The business also has a farm shop and beef cattle

At the end, one of the girls asked me: “How do you see the future of farming and what lies ahead for your next generation?”

My immediate response was: “It’s out of our hands. Our government believes we are no longer important or required. There’s nothing that would currently want me to encourage my kids into the industry. It might as well be a modern form of slavery.”
It’s a crazy thought, but when I left school in 2004 the government constantly said farming was a vital industry as the population rises and food demand outstrips supply.

Now it’s 2021, and it’s hard not to get frustrated and angry as a farmer listening to the reporting of COP26.

All the lies and corruption that governments bring – backed by the media reporting the inaccuracies – are brainwashing the public into thinking farmers are the problem

I believe carbon neutral, net zero and so on could be the biggest scam in our generation.

Yes, carbon reduction is very important and we need to do our bit, but businesses buying carbon credits to advertise themselves as net zero is total rubbish.

It’s tricking the public into thinking they are somehow an environmentally friendly company.

The only way you should be able to officially declare a reduced- or zero-carbon footprint is by altering how your functioning business runs, not buying a rainforest and declaring that you’re carbon neutral. Nothing has changed for the better.

If you’re a tenant farmer you’ll struggle to get land if landlords get big money to leave it in grass or trees and collect carbon credits.

The biggest laugh is that they bandy about all these carbon figures, yet I can’t get anyone to accurately measure my carbon footprint.

If the measurements aren’t accurate, how can they be used as a reflection on any industry?

Reducing emissions is major aim for dairy transition farmers

[Blaithin]

Drove past the new facility east of jenner alberta. In my opinion it is a blight on that piece of land. It can not be used for anything else. The bottom of the panels are no more than 3’ to 4’ above ground. No more cattle grazing or grain farming on that piece of real estate. At least with wind mills agriculture can continue. Also curious how the under growth will be controlled going forward? Is it just because it has been built in butt **** alberta it is a great idea? They should put these panels all over the green spaces in calgary and edmonton so that the climate greenies can enjoy their great works every day.

Sheep…. Very, very, very common partner of solar fields.

Also various places have had good luck having market gardens under the panels. More so hot areas as the shade helps the plants, but it’s possible here as well.

Dumb to say agriculture can’t utilize the land at the same time. There’s more to ag than cows and arable.

[ALBERTAFARMER4]

I think they recycle steel.

What do they do with solar panel garbage.

And we're not talking about 74 acres.

LOL, you think that working solar modules are going to the dump?

[shtferbrains]

[QUOTE=ALBERTAFARMER4;518947]LOL, you think that working solar modules are going to the dump?

Where do you think they will go?

[Hamloc]

Travers Solar project. Here we have a solar project with financing from Denmark through Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, solar panels from China through Jinko Solar, covering 3300 acres of land creating electrical generating infrastructure that is basically useless for 3 months of the year, December through February, that will create 10 long term jobs at a cost of $700 million. Need I say more.

[shtferbrains]

Actualy I would have said the same about perfectly workable gas fired power plants in California but they are now scraping them routinely even if they can't supply power at peak demand time of day.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Sheep…. Very, very, very common partner of solar fields.

Also various places have had good luck having market gardens under the panels. More so hot areas as the shade helps the plants, but it’s possible here as well.

Dumb to say agriculture can’t utilize the land at the same time. There’s more to ag than cows and arable.

I drove by the blight on the landscape at Innisfail one very overcast wet day this fall, and was surprised to see that they were releasing stored solar energy, even though according to the website, the panels weren't producing anything.

That is right, the holy grail, efficient, affordable solar energy storage was happening right here in Central Alberta.

There was a herd of sheep under the panels harvesting the weeds that had grown under and between the panels. Those plants had stored solar energy from sunny days, and were releasing it to the sheep on a cloudy day, and at night. I just knew technology would find a solution.

[Blaithin]

Blight is in the eye of the beholder.

I’m personally not a big fan of solid fields of wheat/barley/peas/canola. Bit of a blight themselves. But they pay the bills for many on here so their blight status is opaque in the face of livelihood.