For each speaker who presented to the Independent Planning Commission about land quality at the Walla Solar Farm site, there was another who spoke to its marginality.

Many have taken issue with the fact a three-year mapping project that labelled most of Greater Hume important agricultural land in a draft form is considered by the NSW government to be "not directly relevant" because it "has not yet been finalised".

But even if the Department of Primary Industries mapping declares the area to be "important agricultural land", this is a constraint and not a preclusion in the state's large-scale solar guidelines.

The presence of 270 hectares of biophysical strategic agricultural land within the footprint of the New England Solar Farm did not prevent its approval in March.

The Walla Solar Farm, which the IPC will soon make a determination for, would allow for sheep grazing under panels and cropping on 95 hectares.

Mike Young of the NSW Department of Planning, Industry, and Environment said FRV Services' solar farm could power 112,000 homes.

"In terms of cumulative impact, even if all four projects are approved, it would make up around 2300 hectares of disturbance ... less than one per cent [of agricultural land in the shire]," he said.

In a meeting with Commissioners on October 27, Greater Hume environment and planning director Colin Kane said aspects of the land's capability had been overlooked.

"They've drawn on the fact that it's a small amount of land in Riverina. Can't dispute that. That it is mapped as category four land. I can't dispute that either," he said.

"But what hasn't sort of come across there is that despite that it is category four land, it's very flat land with a high rainfall.

"In my mind, the company's decision to locate on this land is really driven by the fact of its proximity to the infrastructure, the overhead powerlines."

Residents like Desmond Feuerherdt considered that to be an inadequate reason.

"Why doesn't the government make it compulsory that everyone building a new house put solar on their house with a battery beside it? That will solve all this," he said.

"You can't tell me it's not good, prime land.

"It's all about money."

Others told the IPC the benefits of the project outweighed impacts to neighbours.

"I find the argument you can be more productive with that land and it's too good for solar misguided," David Robinson said.

"A farm yielding clean energy is of much higher value to the nation right now."

Silo business owner Andrew Kotzur said no one would choose to change the rural landscape, but it was "inevitable" such developments would need to go in more densely populated areas.

"The growth in wind and solar generation needs to, and will continue," he said.

"The location of these facilities is challenging.

"From a local perspective, the visual impact is something that needs to be very closely considered."

The visual impact of Bomen Solar Farm near Wagga was shared at the video conference by Bill Schulz.

"We see massive glare issues and reflection," he said.

"This has gone to the extent that now the Environmental Protection Authority has confirmed there is an issue.

"There is no measurement around a lot of these things.

"If there's a noise impact, there's a decibel rating, with visual impact, they use words like minimise [and] mitigate.

"Our community has got to a point now where marriages are on the rocks.

"The mental, financial and visual collateral damage left by this will last and last for years to come."

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Walla proposal, which has been amended to include more setbacks and vegetation screenings, would contain 390,000 more solar panels than the Bomen solar farm.

Of 77 state-significant solar farms that are currently proposed or approved in NSW, 10 are 300 megawatts or bigger - these include the Walla and Culcairn projects.

Submissions about the Walla Walla Solar Farm can be made to the IPC until 5pm Thursday.