Another Solar Energy Farm near Shipton

Tue 1 Feb 2011, 22:42

Yes it looks pretty innocuous right next to the sewage works.

But I do think the economics is a bit marginal and is taking a punt on 10-20 year energy rises as North Sea gas runs out and we become dependent upon LPG and Russia's uncertain supplies.

Yes, yes, all part of Thatcher's treasonous economic policies in the dash to gas to break the power of coal!! The next but one generation - us as OAPs just missing the baby boom lucky generation, and my kids 13 and 8 - will pay a horrendous price for all the banker's megabonuses that her policies created and that Brown and Blair didn't have the guts to rein in and thus let the banks go greed crazy - and then they got the blame most unfairly. After all they were only following Big Moneys' orders... My theses of '93 & '99 was only a year out in predicting the crash and not out of line at all with what was going to cause it...!

I need to see if I have a map that will give me contours to see if it will be visible further up our end of the valley looking upstream, but I suspect that it might be visible from the north side of the Evenlode River valley. I can't find the 1/25000 maps at the moment - do you have one at hand that might be able to discern sightlines along and across the valley and from different sides? Not sure if the 25k map we have got goes that far south.

Reminder to self - order up from Jon a couple of OS maps centred on our postcode in 1/50000 and 1/25000!! We've investments in a number of alternative energy projects so for each individual proposal the monetary and environmental pay off is always the devil in the detail as they say. I find windmills pretty in moderate dosages. Solar panels don't do the same aesthetic thing for me!!

Sun 30 Jan 2011, 11:25

Not exactly visible from the road anyway! (See http://tinyurl.com/4c29nka) And no, that's not a right of way. BTW, have we lit upon a use for the quarry at last?

Sun 30 Jan 2011, 00:26

Hot on the heels of the proposal put forward by the Rotherwicks in Wychwood forest, and somewhat out of our parish but fairly nearby, here comes another solar farm planned in West Oxfordshire, located at a site in Milton Road in the nearby village of Shipton- Under-Wychwood).

The devil of course is in the scenic and geographical detail - visibility being primarily the issue.

The developer Sam Simson, wishes to publicise an open aternoon and consultation at Wychwood CE School Hall on Saturday 5th Feb from 1pm to 5pm to demonstrate the planned solar farm. (Information from Suscha - Sustainable Charlbury)
For more details see: thurly.net/0rik

May I suggest that he extends his opening hours, or holds another public display, at a time more appropriate for those who are working and commuting or dealing with childcare duties? This is not a good time for maximising the number of visitors!!!