How a planned solar farm could wipe out a retiree’s life savings

Michelle was looking forward to downsizing and enjoying a quiet retirement when she received mail that turned her world upside down.

A local real estate agent dropped a bombshell: a proposed industrial solar farm planned right next door could slash the value of her property by up to 50 per cent, and under current regulations, there is virtually nothing she can do to stop it or claim compensation.

"It makes me feel sick, actually," Michelle told A Current Affair.

"My dining area will have a wonderful view of solar panels. Even inside, I'll probably need sunglasses."

Michelle moved back to Moree in north-west NSW a decade ago to care for her ageing parents.

During that time, she embedded herself in the local community, managing social services including the local Meals on Wheels program.

Following her parents' passing, Michelle prepared to sell the family home and move into her next chapter.

Instead, her retirement plans have gone up in smoke.

The proposed development, slated for the property directly behind Michelle's boundary, will see 21,000 solar panels installed across the rural landscape.

"The whole landscape will be full of solar panels," Michelle said, gesturing toward her boundary fence.

“It could end up looking like a Mad Max movie set, a future apocalypse."

A valuation check by local real estate agents painted a grim financial picture: her property value is estimated to drop by 30 to 50 per cent.

Michelle's experience isn't an isolated case. Her neighbour Colin received a notification in the mail "very late in the piece" and struggled to make sense of the complex planning documentation.

The farmland between Michelle and Colin has been leased to EDP Global, a Portuguese multinational energy giant.

The company has a massive pipeline of Australian projects that could see up to 3 million solar panels installed on fertile regional land.

"Even on the map in their [the solar company's] own reports, it shows residential, residential, residential, residential, solar factory, residential," Michelle pointed out.

"Why are they locating it here?"

Unlike public infrastructure projects managed by local councils or government bodies, private renewable energy companies are not legally required to pay compensation to neighbouring landowners whose property values decline.

When Michelle approached the company's business development manager to ask about compensation, the response was brief: "No."

"I have trawled through their websites, delved down into policies. It mentions nowhere the adjoining landowners who are impacted by the solar factory (farm)," she said.

The lack of protection for affected neighbours has raised red flags even among clean energy advocates.

Markus Lambert, a renewable energy educator and host of Your Energy Answers, says the current framework risks damaging public support for Australia's green transition.

"If you build a solar farm and you make a profit and somebody else gets disadvantaged, then you should really be fair and compensate these people for the loss," Lambert said.

"Because your profit cannot be somebody else's misfortune."

The controversy in Moree also raises broader planning questions about where large-scale infrastructure is built.

Moree, a regional town with a population of about 9000, already hosts a large solar farm that has been operating for eight years. 

Crucially, three operating solar farms are generating power within 70 kilometres of Moree, producing far more electricity than the local population requires.

Three additional solar farms have been approved but not yet constructed.

One proposed farm (the development next to Michelle) remains under development application (DA) assessment.

Because local demand is already satisfied, energy generated from these rural sites is transmitted hundreds of kilometres to metropolitan centres.

"I don't understand why we're putting these solar farms hundreds of kilometers away when we have so many city commercial rooftops without solar," Lambert said.

"Why don't you put the solar close to where you need it?"

Michelle stressed her objection wasn’t about opposing green energy.

"I'm completely 100 per cent pro-renewables," she said.

"We just need to be considerate in Australia about where we locate them."

If approved, the developer will have five years to complete construction, leaving Michelle's financial future and retirement plans in limbo.

"I don't think that the bush should have to bear the brunt of this," she said.

"I don't think anyone should have to."

EDP Global told A Current Affair it would not pay individual compensation to Michelle, arguing the solar development would benefit the broader Moree community.