Ban solar panels on farmland

The Dilemma | What is the gain?

Is there any profit in banning solar farms on farmland? Solar Magazine discusses this dilemma with Jelmer Pijlman (Novar). 'It is detrimental to the farmer, local businesses and undermines the energy transition.'

How did you receive the news from Overijssel, a ban on new solar parks on agricultural and natural land?
"It was a total surprise, and not only for me. But apparently that was the intention. The decision was prepared in great secrecy. We have 2 operational solar parks in Overijssel. As in the whole of the Netherlands, the demand for renewable energy in Overijssel is increasing exponentially. Companies want and need to become more sustainable. In Overijssel, together with the business community, we are looking at how solar parks can contribute to this in an innovative way. The provincial government is now abruptly pressing the pause button. This is not good for Novar and the solar energy sector, but it certainly hits local businesses hard. The social damage is great.

Why
'This is not how we govern the Netherlands, taking decisions in secret and then confronting stakeholders and partners with faits accomplis. You saw that in the many reactions to this decision, for example by the municipalities of Deventer and Zwolle, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), the National Regional Energy Strategy Program and local energy cooperatives. The result is indignation and distrust among parties working very hard on the energy transition. And that is in no way helped by this action.'

Provincial States of Overijssel indicated that the RES targets will be met with the current solar fields and new ones already licensed.
'If you look at the figures, this does not seem to be entirely correct. In addition, the RES plans in Overijssel overestimate the contribution of onshore wind. Everyone knows how difficult those projects are to realize. And Overijssel recently came up with stricter rules for these kinds of projects. Moreover, it doesn't stop after the current RESs. The National Energy System Plan (NPE) and the Energy Master Plan (PEH) indicate that electricity demand in 2050 could be 3 to 4 times higher than today. So a lot of renewable energy needs to be added. Offshore wind projects can contribute to this, but they are becoming increasingly challenging financially. The same applies to rooftop solar. You can say: let's fill all the roofs with solar panels. But that is much more complicated than many people think; the low-hanging fruit has already been picked. You can see that in a slowdown in this market segment. So tell me how Overijssel is going to realize its energy transition.'

There is positive math, not good thinking?
'We should not go this way. If we are serious about our energy transition, we should be committed to maximizing all possible ways of generating green power, including solar farms. However, acceptance of these systems is declining. This is partly emotion. Currently, these cover only 0.12 percent of our land area; less than 1 percent will get us where we need to go. So the impact on our landscape remains very limited.'

But agricultural and natural lands are lost.
"Solar parks can actually contribute to nature development and increase biodiversity, as many recent studies prove. In the new generation of solar parks, the design is also guided by that. And everyone knows that farmers are struggling. You can stand up for their interests, but by prohibiting solar parks on agricultural land, you actually rob them of the opportunity to tap into another or additional source of income. We already see very nice workable examples of arable farmers, horticulture and livestock farms where solar parks add value to the farm business. Also from this perspective, Overijssel's decision is incomprehensible. Moreover, it inhibits innovation in our sector.'

What are you referring to?
'No solar panels on farmland also means no agri-pv systems. These are currently booming. The combination of solar panels and agriculture is very promising. The farmer can continue to produce food, while at the same time green electricity is generated. So it is an opportunity to make your farm more future-proof; to diversify and farm less intensively while securing or increasing your income. The agricultural sector should embrace that opportunity.

Future-proof

"Sun on land is an opportunity to future-proof your agricultural business: diversify, farm less intensively and secure or even increase your income." - Jelmer Pijlman

How do you rate the chances of Overijssel's policy spilling over to other provinces?
"It's a theme that you see reflected in many provincial administrative agreements, especially where the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) and CDA are on the board. Those are the so-called farmer parties. But by banning solar panels on farmland, they are not doing their supporters any favors. And so does interest group LTO, which is pushing for this in its lobby. It is very harmful for our energy transition. Also don't forget that solar parks are essential for the sustainability of our industry. Many of these companies must and can electrify to become more sustainable. This requires a reliable source, preferably local source, of green power. It also requires certainty of acceptable long-term fixed power prices. As the Netherlands, given recent history, we want to be highly energy independent. Especially now that we no longer use Groningen gas. Especially solar parks can facilitate all this.'

Article by Marco de Jonge Baas, appeared in Solar Magazine.