South Hams District Council has granted full planning approval for a 15.4 hectare solar power scheme near South Brent in South Devon, reports Planning today.
TGC Renewables plan to build 27,924 photovoltaic (PV) panels over 5 interconnected fields.
TGC says the 8MW scheme is the largest solar project in the UK to date, supplying enough electricity to power around 2,500 homes and, according to Farmers Guardian, guaranteed rental income for the farm over the next 25 years.
TGC says the 8MW scheme is the largest solar project in the UK to date, supplying enough electricity to power around 2,500 homes and, according to Farmers Guardian, guaranteed rental income for the farm over the next 25 years.
Planning report that in its decision letter the Council said that the application site is located outside any landscape designated area and so the development will not have a significant impact on the setting of Dartmoor National Park or the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
TGC’s director Rob Denham said the main challenge in developing solar farms is finding sites that are suitable and that meet the tough criteria required to obtain permits.
I’ve not looked at solar news much since the dust settled on the subsidy battle.
A trawl around the news sites today however reveals a lot of activity generally in the industry – something that would be more readily apparent if I spent more of my time in the Westcountry it seems (so instead I’ve gone even further west and used a photo from flickr* of a solar park in North Carolina!).
In June the BBC reported German developer, Kronos, was considering building an even bigger solar farm in Cornwall – a whopping 25-megawatt solar farm across 120 acres of Lower Wheatley Farm, north of Launceston.
Business Green meanwhile reported government minister Ed Vaizey has pledged to be among the first to invest in a solar project that is expected to become the largest community-owned project of its kind - Westmill Solar Farm, near Swindon.
The Swindon solar farm, which launched its share offer at the end of June, was constructed last year and houses more than 21,000 polycrystalline solar panels producing 4.8GWh per year - enough to meet the average annual electricity requirement of 1,400 homes.
These developments are good news for the solar industry after its main subsidy (feed-in-tariffs) was slashed.
Solar farms however can be every bit as controversial as wind farms for local residents.
This is Cornwall, for example, reports protesters are gearing up to fight a proposal for a 54-acre solar farm in Shillingford Abbott, near Exeter which would power 3,700 homes.
Locals want to get the whole area classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which would protect against large-scale development.
The developer says sheep would be able to graze between and below the panels (like in the photo!), and that the permission would be for a “temporary use” of 25 years, after which all infrastructure will be removed from the site, and agricultural use would continue.
*Photo by joanna8555 via flickr
Just had news that the local farmer/landowner is looking at putting application to turn his 2 fields into solar parks.
ReplyDeleteI field is in the distance, which is fine, however the other borders directly onto my garden, 3/4 of my house faces and opens onto this land. There is nothing separating the field and my garden.
Is there any way I can put a stop to the one surrounding my home? Anyone know where I can get help?
No, The southwest is heads down at the councils and unless you can dig up some old treasure on the site... it will be stream rolled in
ReplyDeleteproblem is they have morans on the councils and look to short term gains while getting some payoff from the solar companies.
Cornwall is also going down the drain , with applications being passed with no thought by completely in experienced people