Questions and answers for neighbours

At BeGreen, we would like strong local collaboration with neighbours, local politicians and other stakeholders.

Engaging in open and respectful dialogue, we strive to find solutions that benefit neighbours, the local community, the municipality and the climate. We call this ‘being neighbourly’.

We make every effort to find the exact sites that will cause the least inconvenience to those living close to our solar PV parks, and that are strategically located where the need for green, renewable power is greatest.

In addition, we will ensure that the close neighbours to our solar PV parks will get an opportunity to have a say in, for example, the planting selected to constitute a living fence around the sites.

There are many things that need to come together when BeGreen builds a solar PV park. On average, it takes about two years from the time we sign the first agreement to lease land until we are ready to drive the first stake into the ground.

As a neighbour to a future solar PV park, you will naturally be consulted. In concrete terms, this means that we will have a pre-consultation before the local plan proposal is submitted to the relevant local authority, and a consultation will then be held in connection with the adoption of the local plan. During the consultation period itself, we will also hold an open public meeting in the local area, where everyone is welcome to attend and ask questions.

In addition, if you are a close neighbour and contact us at BeGreen, we will be happy to come by for a chat if you prefer.

We always try to position our solar panels so they integrate with the landscape as much as possible. For this reason, we mainly select sites that are relatively flat. In addition, our solar PV parks are placed as close as possible to the local transformer stations, so we avoid having to bury cables over long distances.

At BeGreen, we recognise that becoming a neighbour to a solar PV park may feel overwhelming. Therefore we do what we can to make our solar PV parks as invisible as possible to our neighbours.

This means, for example, that in areas where the parks are visible from private properties, we use solar PV panels that are just 1 to 1.5 metres in height. At the same time, we always establish a living fence around our parks, which means that after just a few years, the parks will be largely hidden from view behind trees and shrubs.

BeGreen’s solar PV parks contribute to a rich and diverse wildlife by ensuring that there is access for small animals and amphibians under the fence surrounding the parks. At the same time, we make space for larger animals by creating wildlife corridors around or through our parks where animals naturally roam.

In addition, we focus on planting locally native plants which ensure that also insects and bees thrive at our solar PV parks.

A great advantage of solar energy is that it is the only energy source that is entirely noise-free following the installation phase. As a neighbour to a solar PV park, you are therefore ensured great conditions for a good night’s sleep throughout the park’s service life. The construction phase itself takes around six to ten months, from the time the first stakes are driven into the ground until the park is completed and ready for use.

When we convert farmland into solar PV parks, we are also giving a helping hand to the climate, the environment and biodiversity. As solar energy helps to reduce CO2 emissions, it is an essential factor in the green transition to avert the climate crisis.

BeGreen’s solar PV parks also help to protect groundwater resources, as the areas on which we instal solar PV panels are not sprayed with pesticides.

Last but not least, biodiversity increases significantly in the local areas where BeGreen has solar PV parks. We make a point of sowing and planting a mix of grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees in and around our parks, creating a diverse natural environment in areas where previously only one or two different crops were sown a year.