Solar Farms: Council explore 20 hectare site at Lympne and Pent Farm Postling applies for 27.7 hectare site
None come along for ages, then two at once.
Solar Farms are fast becoming the fashion in our district, what with a planning application (23/0580/FH) lodged on land owned by Pent Farm, Postling. And another site is to be scoped by Folkestone & Hythe Disttrict Council land it owns at Otterpool Park in Lympne.
The Pent Farm application which is live, is proposed on a 27.7 hectare site (68.5 acres) and the land is classified as Grade 3b land. Grade 3b is moderate quality agricultural land which is capable of producing moderate yields of a narrow range of crops, principally cereals and grass or lower yields of a wider range of crops or high yields of grass which can be grazed or harvested over most of the year.
We know the land is drained, and we suspect is capable of growing good arable crops despite it being classified as grade 3b. A yield of 8 tonnes per hectare of wheat would be expected. The only reason we suspect that such a scheme is being proposed is, it’s next to a electricity substation, so can feed into the grid easily.
Pent Farm Planning Application for Solar Farm 23/0580/FH – Google My Maps
27.7ha
The second proposed solar farm, which is merely an exploratory/scoping proposal has been put forward by Otterpool Park LLP. The land is owned by the Council. The land is classified as Grade 2 land. No planning application has been lodged.
The proposal states:
The opportunity to deliver a solar park on Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) land on the boundary of Otterpool Park presents an effective solution to lower electrical demand and demonstrate an exemplary approach to community power generation and use. The site covers 20 hectares of agricultural land and is owned by Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC).
Can someone please answer me this question .
Why is it that each time I travel to Scotland by train and I get over the border almost all the houses being built have solar panels already installed but in England there are virtually none at all ?
@Kevin
Smaller population and therefore subsidies are relatively affordable for the Scottish Government.
Solar only support is about the end though: https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/funding/grants-loans/
Other than this I think the planning rules are similar.
It could just be that the train route passes developments where the developer is pro-solar.
Thanks BB . It just seems that the ideal time to install solar is in the construction phase and obviously the cost goes on the sale price .
Because as the article says, if the panel is on the roof you receive a tarrif, if it is on land then only the company and landowner get revenue. Furthermore, all the while green energy is tied to the cost of fossil fuel energy, the companies are making a killing as no savings are passed on. Once the costs are decoupled interest in these schemes will collapse and they will become derelict through lack of maintenance.
It is absolutely ridiculous that councils are even considering covering good agricultural land with solar panels, when the country can Not feed itself, and thing’s are getting even worse with population increasing week on week, not to mention the amount of that imported food goes to waste every day.
Pending legislation to ensure all new buildings (domestic & commercial) have rooftop solar panels, car parks and motorway borders would seem to be ‘dead space’ and better locations.
Heat Pumps installed for heating in winter and cooling in the summer are a potential option. Modern heat pumps make much more noise that that of a PC. Solar panels can be a problem when the weather is too hot as they lose efficacy same with lack of sun. For more higher building such as multi-level buildings such as mid-rise Renewable rooftop power that using the full roof with Savonius turbine generating cooling of the solar powers that combine to create dual-energy generation Powernest. It’s currently being trialed in Utrecht in the Netherlands by IBIS Power.
@GH
For modern developments heat pumps are a solution as the properties can be designed and built with the necessary insulation to maximise their benefit. It is in retrofitting them to old properties that their effectiveness is open to question.
This is from the channel Just Have A Think https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vJuKxAIMuA&ab_channel=JustHaveaThink
The power companies are not going to support anything that reduces electricity prices to the customer.
I hope the council are also noting the situation at Thurrock council, who are in serious financial difficulty having invested heavily in a solar company.