Sustainability has been a key consideration at Beane Solar Farm project, with a predicted biodiversity net gain of 98.40 percent in habitats units, 189.90 percent in hedgerow units and 10.19 percent in watercourse units. Alongside generating renewable energy, the project will deliver a range of biodiversity improvements that enhance the local ecosystem. The solar farm has been purposefully designed to be dual use with agricultural grazing, and the careful landscape design includes the addition of wildlife corridors, native hedgerows, and wildflower meadows to support local flora and fauna.
Feedback from stakeholders and the local community, along with the results of site surveys and assessments, has helped to shape the final design of the solar farm. All solar infrastructure has been removed from a section in the southwest and it is now proposed to use this land for the provision of skylark plots. RES has also moved the solar infrastructure further away from the neighbouring residential properties located to the south, in response to community feedback.
The strong levels of solar irradiation expected on the site, would see the project being capable of generating up to 49.9 MW of clean, low-cost renewable electricity, enough to power approximately 15,000 homes and offset over 760,000 tonnes of CO2 over its 40-year operational lifetime. The solar farm would also include energy storage which will help to increase the flexibility and generation opportunities of the site.
Construction traffic and access management has also been a key consideration when developing the Beane Solar Farm. RES is proposing construction traffic routing which will reduce HGV volume on local rural lanes and utilises existing agricultural access points on the land being developed.
“One of the key points raised during local consultation on this project was the need for natural screening and biodiversity” said Jonny Wilks, Development Project Manager for RES. “We’re pleased to be able to propose a scheme that not only continues to support agricultural use but is expected to deliver significant biodiversity benefit alongside clean, low-cost energy generation. We thank those that provided feedback during our pre-application process and hope that the revisions we’ve made since showcasing our preliminary design demonstrate how we’re able to balance energy generation, agriculture and ecology. The changes we’ve made to our construction traffic and access plan have been informed through engaging early and constructively with the local community, which shows just how vital feedback is during the development process.”
Solar farms can be quick to deploy once consented and form a cornerstone of the UK’s net zero carbon emission reduction targets. They also help improve energy security by generating electricity domestically and are one of the cheapest forms of new electricity generation alongside other renewable technologies – making them not only good for the environment but also for the consumer.
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