Protecting the countryside
from industrialisation

PLEASE SUPPORT...

PLEASE SUPPORT...

BERDEN HALL “SOLAR FARM”
What next?
Come along to Berden Village Hall at 8pm on Monday 5 June to find out.

“Protecting the global environment is not an excuse to trash the local environment"

Eric Pickles - Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

About PtP

Protect the Pelhams has been formed by residents of Berden, Brent Pelham, Stocking Pelham and Furneux Pelham who believe passionately that the local countryside should be protected.

The farmland is our area is some of the highest quality land in the UK - it is needed to grow food – now more than ever.

We also understand the vital importance of tackling climate change. However, there is no need to sacrifice productive farmland to deliver the UK’s net zero ambitions.

You can find out more about the current plans to industrialise our countryside HERE

Please Donate

What does PtP do?

PtP believes that inappropriate developments in our local area can be stopped.  We aim to achieve this by:

  • acting as a focal point for objections to large developments in our beautiful countryside;

  • offering help by setting out some of the points that can be made by way of objection (both to developers and to the planners - whether the Planning Inspectorate or District Council);

  • working with local Parish Councils because we understand that their support is vital in the battle to stop the decimation of our countryside; and

  • appointing specialist consultants to work with us (where funds allow) in order to ensure that we make the strongest possible arguments to the planners.

  • working alongside other similar groups (including the Solar Campaigns Alliance, CPRE Herts and CPRE Essex) in order to raise awareness of these issues at national level.

  •  You can find our constitution here : PtP Constitution

Why we object to solar “farms”

Solar has a part to play in tackling climate change. However, solar panels are best used on smaller developments such as the roofs of houses and industrial units.

Solar is one of the least efficient forms of renewable energy generation.

According to UK government statistics, they only produce energy around 11% of the time – so when a developer says that a solar farm can generate 49MW, the truth is that they generate just over 5MW. In comparison, offshore wind farms work around 40% of the time. So a single 14MW turbine can generate as much power as a solar “farm” which take around 200 acres of land out of production.

 

You can find the Government‘s Efficiency Data for sources of renewable energy here: (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904826/DUKES_6.5.xls)

  • One 14 MW Siemens Gamesa wind turbine can produced as much energy as a 200 acre solar “farm”

    14 MW = 14,000 kw

    14,000 x 365 (days) x 24 (hours) = 122,640,000 kw

    Multiply by the capacity factor for offshore wind (40%) = 49,056,000 kw

    Divide by 3,200 (homes)

    = 15,330 homes served

  • Six x 3.5 MW wind turbines can produce as much energy as a 200 acre solar “farm”

    21 MW = 21,000 kw

    21,000,000 x 365 (days) x 24 (hours) = 183,960,000 kw

    Multiply by the capacity factor for on-shore wind (27%) = 49,669,200 kw

    Divide by 3,200 (homes)

    = 15,521 homes served

  • A 49.9MW solar "farm" uses around 200 acres of farmland)

    49.9 MW =49,900 kw

    49,900 (kw) x 365 (days) x 24 (hours) = 437,124,000 kw

    Multiply by the capacity factor for solar (11%) = 48,083,640 kw

    Divide by 3,200 (homes)

    = 15,026 homes served

…and with ‘Solar’ comes the batteries.

Battery plants are huge and unsightly (have a look at the installation just outside Stocking Pelham), noisy and potentially dangerous.