Battery farms show how net-zero comes at a price

At least not directly. But as our feature today demonstrates, tensions are quietly simmering about the impact the switch to green energy is having on our green spaces.

On the face of it, the transformation from expensive and polluting fossil fuels such as gas, coal and oil, towards free and infinite resources such as wind power and sunlight sounds irresistible. The downside has always been 'what do you do when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing', and scientists have been working hard to address that problem.

The solution., at least for now, lies in battery farms - sprawling compounds of huge batteries which can store electricity generated in the days of plenty, and keep it for the many rainy days.

But this does not come without its own controversies, as our investigation shows. A huge fire at a battery farm in California, which led to the evacuation of 1,500 people and filled the sky with toxic fumes, highlights the very real concerns that many people have about these sites being located close to their homes. These incidents are comparatively rare at the moment, but as the number of sites grows to meet net-zero targets, one can hardly blame residents for being concerned. Only time will tell whether these fears are justified.

The other problem with these sites is their appearance. People are understandably unhappy at seeing industrial compounds proliferating where green fields and rolling cattle once stood.  The obvious solution would be to adopt a 'brownfield first' policy, but this will be costly, and there is only so much brownfield land to go around. Besides, given the aforementioned concerns about fire risk, these will only be exacerbated by building these plants in densely populated urban areas. 

We hope that, with thoughtful planning. improving technology, and careful consideration by all sides of the argument, that sensible compromises to these problems can be found. But we don't envy those with the task of solving these conundrums.

It is all a timely reminder that talk of turning Britain into a green-energy superpower sounds fine in speeches, and might, in the long run, prove the right thing to do. But it comes at a price.

Net-zero doesn't mean net-zero costs.