British solar farm proposals open for public consultation
Published by Bella Weetch,
Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,
Proposals for a new solar energy farm across farmland south of the M20 and north east of Aldington, England, will be open for public consultation from 12 July - 9 August 2021.
The proposed East Stour Solar Farm is being brought forward by EDF Renewables UK. It has the potential to generate up to 49.9 MW of renewable electricity, enough to meet the equivalent needs of approximately 17 000 homes in the Borough of Ashford, Kent, every year1.
This is the first of two stages of public consultation, with the second expected to follow later in 2021. EDF Renewables UK wants to hear people’s views at an early stage in the design process to inform its detailed plans for the solar farm.
The company, through its battery storage team Pivot Power, is also considering land between the proposed East Stour Solar Farm and Sellindge Substation for a battery energy storage system. This is likely to be as a separate planning application.
James Lyons from EDF Renewables UK said: “We are proposing East Stour Solar Farm to help the UK accelerate to net-zero by delivering new sources of low carbon, renewable energy generation.
“We have ambitious plans to build five times as much renewable energy as we already manage and have a strong pipeline of projects in the UK, such as this one.
“We are looking forward to presenting our early design proposals to local people and hearing their feedback. We will be conducting a further round of public consultation later this year.”
1 Based on European Commission, Photovoltaic GIS (PVGIS-SARAH) initial site production estimate and average domestic electricity consumption per Ashford Borough Council household (DBEIS, 2020). Numbers presented to three significant figures.
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Energy Global's Spring 2021 issue
The Spring issue of Energy Global features a varied spectrum of in-depth technical articles detailing recent projects, future projections, and technological advancements in the renewables sector, from companies including GlobalData, Atlas Copco, Watlow, QED Naval, TRACTO, AB Energy, and more.
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/12072021/british-solar-farm-proposals-open-for-public-consultation/
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