Solarcentury has secured planning permission for a 20MWp solar farm near Sudbury, Derbyshire that will generate enough clean solar electricity to power 5,500 homes. During the 25 year lifetime of the site, over 200,000 tonnes of CO2 will be offset. The predominantly grade 3 land will benefit from a habitat management plan which aims to improve the biodiversity of the site.
Once the panels have been installed, grass and UK provenance wildflower mixes will be sown around and under the panels. Specific habitat areas with bat and bird boxes and beehives will be installed around the site, undertaken by Solarcentury partner the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Solarcentury will put measures in place to ensure ground nesting birds including sky lark and yellow wagtail birds have suitable breeding opportunities.
Frans van den Heuvel, CEO at Solarcentury said, We develop all our sites in line with the Solar Trade Associations 10 commitments guiding best practice in solar farm development. As part of this, we identify opportunities to enhance the ecological value of the land; at Aston House we will implement a range of biodiversity measures that will work in harmony with the solar panels. So at the same time as generating clean energy for thousands of homes, the site will be a boost to local wildlife.
The site is low lying and already well screened: once further native trees and hedges have been planted in field boundaries, the panels will scarcely be visible to passers-by.
Construction will start at the end of the year and the site will be connected ahead of the March 31st 2015 deadline, so the site will qualify for 1.4 ROCs.
