Solar PV Farms

Ground mounted solar installations of more than 9m2 will need planning permission, so all solar farms will come under the scrutiny of planners who will examine a range of factors when deciding whether to grant or refuse planning permission.  Whilst brownfield sites, such as former landfills or demolished industrial premises can be ideal, planners will also look favourably on solar farms which are sited on arable land, but are often impressed by plans which continue to allow grazing on the site.

Given rising electricity tariffs, Solar Farms have extremely strong business cases, with some organisations saving in excess of £1m per year and insulating them from further price rises.  In addition, they can contribute huge carbon savings and in the case of the Swansea Bay University Health Board solar installation, they have saved 600 tonnes of carbon in their first 6 months since their 4MW solar farm went live and in the same time their energy savings have amounted to almost £330,000.

With the right design, many problem sites can be converted into solar parks. We recently helped Bedford Borough Council turn a former landfill site into a 4.2MW solar farm which exports electricity to the grid.  This was only made possible through a series of innovative design features which not only made the project viable, but also enabled maximum yield.