PLANS have been submitted for a 173-acre solar energy farm in Dorset.
If approved the multi-million pound scheme will use photovoltaic (PV) panels capable of directly converting sunlight into electrical current.
It will generate approximately 36 megawatts (MW) of low carbon ‘green’ electrical power, meeting the electricity needs of about 9,000 homes.
The company behind the scheme, Eco Sustainable Solutions, submitted a planning application to Christchurch Borough Council on Friday, June 21.
The solar farm will be built on land bordering Eco’s renewable energy park park at Parley near Christchurch. Established hedgerows or woodland surround the proposed site.
The PV panels will be ground mounted on racks angled at 30 degrees and between 0.8 metres (2ft 7ins) and 2.9 metres (9 ft 6ins) high.
Their height will allow the land to still be used for agricultural use, specifically grazing.
The solar farm is expected to take about six months to build and, once commissioned, will operate for approximately 25 years.
Trelawney Dampney, Eco’s Managing Director, said: “Solar farms are a simple and proven technology providing a source of safe, locally produced renewable energy for many years after construction.
“It’s a clean, green way of generating energy with the panels having a low visual impact on the local landscape and creating no noise, pollution, bi-products or emissions. We believe they’re the way forward.”
Founded in 1994, Eco employs 50 people and has an annual turnover of £10 million.
The company owns and operates the UK’s leading purpose-built site for organics recycling and renewable energy generation, currently processing 250,000 tonnes of organic material each year across four facilities.
In March, British Solar Renewables Limited was granted planning permission to build a separate 118 acre solar farm at Parley on land operated by Eco.
Work has now started on the scheme which will generate approximately 20MW of electrical power, enough to meet the electricity needs of about 5,000 homes.
