Wollar Solar Farm

Wollar Solar Farm SSD 9254

I support the application for a Solar Farm at Wollar

Wollar Solar Farm is a positive development for the environment and society because it will:
1. Feed 290MW green power with battery storage into the national electricity grid
2. Displace approx. 515, 564 metric tonnes of CO2
3. Generate enough clean, renewable energy for about 104,926 average NSW homes
4. Support Commonwealth and NSW climate change commitments
5. Create local job and training opportunities that will help to reinvigorate the Wollar community
6. Diversify the regional economy
7. Inject expenditure in the local area and improve the viability of Wollar General Store.
8. This proposed development is in marked contrast to the Coal mines at and near Wollar, and the proposed coal mine in the adjoining Bylong valley.
9. Those coal mines and expansions are harmful to the environment and are not helping Australia meeting its Greenhouse gas targets
Wollar Solar Farm is supported by the local community because:
1. There is no land use conflict from this project in the area
2. There are no amenity or visibility issues
3. The new development will create clean local jobs and attract new families to the Wollar district
4. The project has none of the negative social and environmental impacts produced by the neighbouring Wilpinjong open cut coal mine

John L Hayes

Dear Planning,
I write in support of the Wollar Solar Farm. Rather than the all too common and depressing huge coal projects that I have responded against as an environmental scientist, this project is exactly what is needed! We need positive projects like this that help to reduce the need for the burning of fossil fuels. The only sustainable future for energy is renewable energy not fossil fuels (and not nuclear). Hence this project is part of the needed transition away from fossil fuels to a renewable future. We need more such positive and sustainable projects. I strongly support the proposal.

Dr Haydn Washington
environmental scientist

Please find attached submission to Wollar Solar Farm proposal supported by RHHFFPS, a local conservation group based in Sydney.

I support this project such proposal is well overdue. See attached submission

The new development will create local renewable energy jobs, and supports a modern clean green image and 21st century vision for the region that has been severely tarnished by large coal mining developments. It also compliments tourism which is a major employer in the area.
The project appears to have minimal negative environmental or cultural impacts and the displacement of approximately 516,000 metric tonnes of CO2 greenhouse gases is a major bonus.
The project demonstrates that there is an alternative to coal mining and diversifies the employment base. The project will not permanently degrade or exclude the land-use from future grazing or other food producing options.
The project will help to reinvigorate the Wollar-Ulan community, which has been depopulated by coal mining. It sets a shining example of a new development that does not destroy the local community or permanently degrade the environment.
The training and employment of local and first nation people to participate in the construction and operation of the project should be a top priority
My only criticism is that it could have been located on open cut mine land. Returning mined land to productive agricultural use or native vegetation is unproven and unlikely to be successful over the long term, using these areas as solar farms may be a positive alternative.

I believe the proposed Wollar Solar Farm will be to the benefit of the local community of Wollar. The project won't have a detrimental effect on our environment unlike the nearby Wilpingjong Coal Mine. It will also provide power for over 100,000 average sized NSW homes. I wish to declare my support for the Wollar Solar Farm Project.

Any and all proposals to develop fossil free power generation should be supported. Climate change is the greatest threat to the future of humanity. Solar power generation is the most suitable alternative to coal powered energy. This proposal ticks all the boxes required for approval. The local community is 100% in favour of it, there is absolutely no reason why it should not proceed.

I support the Wollar Solar Farm project as it has none of the negative social and environmental impacts that the Wollar community suffers from as a result of the activities of the neighbouring Wilpinjong open cut coal mine.
The project offers an opportunity to reinvigorate the Wollar district and population and would be a welcome addition to the region rather than one to fight against. Aside from the negative social impacts imposed on communities, open cut coal mining inflicts devastating physical changes on landscapes that are intrinsic to a sense of place and identity for rural communities. The Wollar Solar Farm does not pose such a threat, requiring minimal land disturbance to install and operate.
The Wollar Solar Farm project is a step towards building strong alternatives to coal power in Australia and offers an opportunity to produce our energy needs with far less devastating impacts on our rural communities.

Wollar Solar Farm SSD 9254
Submission of Support

I am pleased to give my support for the above project, as I see it providing positive outcomes both nationally, and for the local community of Wollar which has been ravaged by the advent of coal mining.

1. Climate change
Global Warming is already playing havoc with our lives and economy in Australia, with unprecedented floods, bushfires and drought. It is time to transition our energy sources to renewables. The Wollar Solar Farm is part of this progress.
This development just on its own will cut 515, 564 metric tonnes of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions from Australia’s annual total, supporting Commonwealth and NSW climate change commitments under the Paris Accord.
2. Energy production
With battery storage included, Wollar Solar Farm will generate and feed 290 Megawatts of power into the national grid. This will provide electricity for roughly 105,000 homes in our region.
3. Advantages to Local Community
The project is welcomed by the local community which was decimated by the adjacent Wilpinjong Coal Mine. This mine led to a proliferation of negative social and environmental issues.
4. Positive advantages of the Solar Farm include:
Diversification of the local community, creation of new local jobs and opportunities for training in Wollar in a sustainable industry.
This will lead to new families in the village, and a revitalisation of the community, making the local shop more viable.
No land use conflict which happens with coal mining
No health or visibility issues, or loss of amenities such as the school and the local fire brigade, as occurred when Wilpinjong was brought into operation.
5. There will be no destruction or interference with Indigenous heritage

Please give this project the go-ahead.
Thank you.

Ms Diane O’Mara

As attached

Please refer to attached document

Submission SUPPORTING the Wollar Solar Farm
Healthy Rivers Dubbo is very pleased to be able to write a submission in favour of the Wollar Solar Farm.
Fossil fuel energy production is a major contributor to climate change, which is having a serious negative impact on our world, in particular our rivers. The development of Solar Energy Farms is a necessary transition away from fossil fuel reliance.
Increasing coal mining impacts on and Aboriginal cultural heritage. This development avoids those impacts. There is no land use conflict from this project in the area.
Unlike the neighbouring Wilpinjong open cut coal mine, this new development will create no amenity and visibility issues. The new development will create clean local jobs and attract new families to the Wollar district.
This project will diversify the regional economy, thereby making it more resilient. This will improve the viability of the Wollar General Store, create local job and training opportunities that will help reinvigorate the Wollar community.
The Commonwealth and NSW Governments have commitments that must be met in reducing carbon emissions in an attempt to curb climate change, and this project will support those requirements by displacing approx. 515,564 metric tonnes of CO2.
This project will feed 290MW green power with battery storage into the national electricity grid, generating enough clean, renewable energy for about 104,926 average NSW homes.
For the health of our environment, including our rivers, Healthy Rivers Dubbo is pleased to support this project, and looks forward to being able to support many more like it in the future.

Sincerely,
Mel Gray
Convenor: Healthy Rivers Dubbo.

Please see attached.