A site of more than 100 acres could be turned over to providing solar energy for at least 40 years.
An application for a solar farm and associated battery storage has been submitted to South Holland District Council.
Enray Power Ltd is the parent company of Integrum SPV 21004 which wants to build the array at Bardings Drove, on a site known as Fendyke Solar Farm, Sutton St James.
The proposal is for the 108 acres of agricultural land to accommodate the solar array and battery system.
Planning permission was granted for a solar farm on around 44 per cent of the site in 2014, but was never implemented.
“The applicant is seeking planning permission for the construction, operation and decommissioning of a 20MW solar PV farm and 10MW BESS (battery storage system) together with associated infrastructure,” says the Design and Access statement submitted with the application.
“The solar farm will have an operational lifespan of 40 years, after which it will be decommissioned leaving the land to be farmed again,” says the document.
The 2.8km of cable route from the site to the substation will most likely be installed underground.
“It has been agreed with the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) that connection to the national electricity grid will be via the South Holland substation (Jiggle’s Gate) approximately 2km north of the site,” says the document.
“Enray’s main goal is to support the UK to deliver on the national commitments to net zero and help address climate change. In addition to this, Enray differs from other developers in that they are owner operators, meaning they seek consent, oversee construction and maintain their developments for the consented period. Consequently they have a long-term commitment to their projects”.
The site would not utilise any Grade 1 listed agricultural land. Most of the site is G3A and B – equivalent to good and moderate.
“The arrays comprise several solar panels mounted on a frame with a tracker system to tilt the angle of the panels throughout the day to maximise generation.
“The panels are covered by high transparency solar glass with an anti-reflective coating which minimises glint and glare,” continues the report.
When complete, the site will not be manned and will be controlled remotely.
Among a raft of reports accompanying the statement, are a noise impact statement, water vole and otter survey, skylark report, topographical survey and a landscape and visual appraisal.
The plans will go before South Holland District Council.
