Another price hike in energy supplies this month, so let’s hope for a mild winter.
I won’t now go into into discussing another ‘hot-potato’ subject – the Winter Fuel Allowance – but talk instead about green energy supplies.
I don’t use every Press Release from our local MP’s office – only the ones on subjects and situations that interest me. So – let’s talk sunshine on a grey October day!
Mrs Wera Hobhouse has been hailing the benefits of solar energy – during a Westminster Hall debate on the subject – suggesting that large-scle energy projects could go hand in hand with agriculture to combat food insecurity and climate change, while providing farmers with financial advantages.
During the debate on Large-scale Energy Projects and Food Security, Mrs Hobhouse emphasised the importance of recognising that food and energy security are interconnected, rather than seeing the two in competition.
As global food supply is under serious threat because of climate change, she applauds the merits of solar energy as a “win-win” for tackling climate change, reaching Net Zero and boosting food security.
Our Bath MP was clear that farmland fit for crops should not be displaced, but that solar energy projects on other plains, such as grazing fields, could offer additional financial benefits to farmers without displacing animal stock.
She outlined examples of farmers who lease less productive land to energy companies for solar farms to provide additional income.
She also highlighted examples where solar panels had been constructed above crops, allowing produce to be grown below, or where they had been erected alongside grazing farm animals.
Outlining the potential for large-scale energy projects to go hand in hand with agriculture, Mrs Hobhouse said that farmers did not have to choose between using land for agriculture or for solar.
The National Farmers’ Union has also said that “solar projects often offer a good diversification option for farmers.”
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said:
“We don’t have to choose between boosting food security and combating climate change – or between using farmland for growing crops or for implementing renewable energy projects.
“It’s entirely possible for grazing animals and essential crops to thrive alongside solar installations. The two can go hand in hand while providing financial benefits to hardworking farmers. It’s time we change the narrative to reflect this reality.
“As climate change is one of the biggest threats to food security, it’s critical that we find ways to address the two in tandem – supporting renewable energy projects is a win-win to do exactly that.”
