Solar energy is a natural and inexhaustible source of clean renewable energy with a low environmental impact. The advantages of solar farms over other forms of energy generation are well-established and include clean, green electricity generation with no harmful emissions, noise-free electricity generation and low maintenance requirements.
Battery energy storage is the key to unlocking the potential of other renewable technologies including solar. Also low-impact, it allows us to store electricity until it is needed by the Grid.
Solar panels have no moving parts, make no noise and create no harmful emissions. The inverters produce a slight hum, but this is not audible past the property boundaries.
Lithium-ion batteries like those that we would install make virtually no noise and also create no harmful emissions. They are proven on a global scale and there are already in operation at sites across the UK.
Both technologies are extremely safe and reliable. They do not interfere with equipment such as mobile phones, heart monitors, pacemakers, hearing aids or TV reception.
Solar farms typically consist of rows of solar panels up to 1m off the ground, fixed at an angle to maximise exposure to the sun. Spacing requirements mean the solar panels only take up around one third of the solar farm site, with most of the land being retained as open land, free from intensive farming.
Solar panels are typically mounted on steel frames, which are driven or screwed into the ground. As a result, solar farms involve very low volumes of earthworks and have very little physical impact on the land where they are located. Solar farms can be easily screened from view by setting them back from boundaries and by appropriate screen planting.
Batteries are housed in containers, installed on concrete foundations and surrounded by enclosed fencing to maintain security.
These measures also create opportunities for habitat and bio-diversity enhancements. Our proposals typically seek to retain existing trees and hedgerows around the site. In addition, comprehensive landscaping is included as part of the planned development to ensure that there is minimal visual impact from houses and public vantage points.
No, the opposite. Solar farms have been proven to encourage wildlife to flourish during the rejuvenation period of the land.
We need land close to the national grid or a local distribution network connection point. The further away from the connection point a solar farm is located, the less efficient it becomes due to transmission losses.
Once we have identified a grid injection point, we carry out a detailed analysis of the surrounding land to identify sites that have the lowest possible impact on built and cultural heritage, ecology and the landscape.
No. The life of a solar farm can depend on the duration of the resource consent issued by a council. But a council can also impose a condition requiring the solar farm to be dismantled if it is no longer functional.
A solar farm can be dismantled as quickly and as easily as it was constructed and the materials are almost entirely recyclable (with core components comprising glass, silicon, aluminium and steel).
During the construction phase, there is a small increase in the number of vehicles delivering materials to the site. There will be a traffic management plan to prevent damage and minimise disruption. Once the site is built, traffic will cease almost entirely.
No. Only approximately 0.5% of a solar farm is in direct contact with the ground. The land underneath the panels will still allow the overland flow of water and not affect the ability of water to soak into the ground. We always undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment as part of our application, which will identify any special measures required to mitigate the impact.
Solar panels are designed to absorb light and not to reflect it. They pose little risk of glint or glare, and solar panels have been installed on many airport runways around the world. There are no visible lights on a solar farm.
We do, there is no subsidy from the Government.
Construction of a solar farm is a very quick process. As a rough guide, a typical development can be built in under six months, with very light duty construction that has little local impact.
Battery storage facilities will depend on size but typically take around 12-24 months to build.
