Wind parks meet similar challenges
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Solar energy provides less than 2% of Sweden’s total power production. There are hopes that it can contribute much more. It’s turning out, though, that solar farms and wind parks hit similar opposition. A national interest is sometimes at stake (see this post), and at other times it’s a land use issue. Either way, another effort for producing renewable energy is running into more problems than was once hoped.
In Sweden, the Land and Environment court has declared that solar farms cannot be installed on useable farmland. Food production and food self-sufficiency are of a higher national interest. When a landowner and farmer believe a solar farm would be more practical and profitable, conflicts and court cases arise. In 2022, SVT reports, 24 requests to install a solar farm were turned down on national interest grounds in Skåne. In Halland, 65 proposed solar farms got a no.
protected frogs
Even if the solar farm is approved, another issue is the transmission cables needed to connect the panels to the grid. These cables need to run over land, which can impact the environment negatively. This is the argument landowners over a five mile stretch in southern Sweden are presenting in opposition to the proposal from electric company Eon. Among other concerns, they argue, the presence of several species of protected frogs in the area demands extra consideration. According to Ystads Allehanda, it will be up to the Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate to decide.
Increasing electrification needs make even a small solar contribution a welcome addition to the grid. Optimists believe that in the future, solar farms could provide up to 10% of Sweden’s energy needs, particularly as material costs fall.
The sunlight itself is free. But harnessing it comes with a cost that not everyone is willing to pay.