This scheme will assist the Council’s ambition to deliver zero carbon emissions by 2030 whilst delivering a completely carbon neutral area by 2050 to align with local and national targets. This scheme will therefore contribute to the UK’s urgent need to transition to a sustainable, clean future.

We anticipate that construction of this scheme will take approximately 9 months. Local highway restrictions will be followed and a construction traffic management plan will be agreed with the local highway authority to ensure that our construction plans are appropriate.

Vegetation in and around operational solar farms has to be maintained to ensure the efficient generation of renewable energy, the most cost effective way of managing this vegetation is to periodically graze sheep around the solar modules. This has the added benefit of maintaining an agricultural use at the site and also offers an additional agricultural income stream for farmers during uncertain economic times. Supporting the natural landscape, we use existing access tracks where possible, design around existing trees and hedgerows whilst planting additional screening to support the rural aesthetic of the existing landscape. Therefore, whilst there is an initial change to the countryside, upon operation, this scheme will fast become a haven for wildlife. An assessment of the landscape and visual impacts will be undertaken by an external landscape architect to ensure our scheme protects the character and beauty of the countryside.

This is a temporary, fully reversible development. At the end of the solar farm’s life (40 years), equipment will be removed, and the field can return to its current condition. This explicitly means that the status of the land once decommissioned will not be classified as a brownfield site and will retain greenfield status, protecting the land from other forms of development. It is impossible to say if the same planning processes will be in place at the end of the project lifespan, however, under the current planning legislation, if anyone wants to build a new solar farm on the same land upon decommissioning, a new planning application will need to be submitted.

The proposed development will use bifacial solar modules which offer many advantages over traditional modules. Power can be produced from both sides of a bifacial module, increasing total energy generation. The general assumption is that the UK is not sunny enough to optimise solar and full, direct sunshine is necessary. However, these efficient modules have excellent weak light performance meaning more power output is seen in weak light conditions such as cloud, dawn and sunset. Therefore, solar can work exceptionally well in the UK, producing power all year round.

As with all manufactured products, some carbon is emitted in the manufacturing process, yet, the claim that solar modules produce more carbon than they save is false. The overall greenhouse gas emissions involved in solar energy is considerably lower than coal or natural gas. Research has shown that the average carbon payback period for solar modules is only one to four years. This means that over the total lifespan of the project (40 years) each individual module will generate zero carbon for decades after the carbon emitted in its production has been paid back. The additional trees and hedgerows planted to support the screening of the solar farm will also aid in actively removing carbon from the atmosphere, offsetting the creation of the manufacturing process in the first instance whilst providing a range of environmental and biodiversity benefits.

We as a company are committed to supplying the best possible solution when it comes to recycling. We use registered licensed specialists to recycle all components, from PV modules, solar inverters and transformers right down to the cabling.