Nottinghamshire residents are divided over plans for a new solar farm. A consultation is taking place over plans to create a new solar farm on land off Bunny Old Wood in Rushcliffe.
The farm would have an export capacity of 49.9MW which is equivalent to the annual electricity usage of 17,500 UK homes. It will also have a battery storage facility with a capacity of 85MW, which will provide a two hour duration of electricity export per discharge.
The Old Wood Energy Project by Exagen is proposing that the farm is built in two parts, with the first being located on the land west to Lodge Farm, South of Old wood and the second part slightly further south, close to Rough Plantation and north of Wysall Road. The group is currently in the consultation stage and speaking to residents in the area at drop in sessions and webinars before submitting a formal planning application.
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Mark Rowcroft, managing director of Exagen, stated: "The UK Government target of 70GW of solar energy generation by 2035 requires a five-fold increase in current solar deployment. The need for renewable energy projects including large scale ground mounted solar is huge – to meet the target nearly two projects the size of Old Wood would need to be consented nationally every week.
"The Old Wood Energy Park was specifically chosen because it avoids Green Belt land, avoids most productive agricultural land, benefits from an onsite connection to the grid, is set back from settlements and can be screened using topography and existing woodland blocks, supplemented by hedgerow improvements and new woodland belts to reduce visibility to nearby properties."
He continued: "So far during public consultation for the project, we have hosted two in-person events with at least 87 attendees, an online webinar with 68 questions and received over 110 online survey responses to our plans. This will enable us to fully understand the communities’ concerns and allow the comments received to influence the final design of the project before we submit a planning application to Rushcliffe District Council.
"Limited available connection to the grid across the UK means that some projects will be close together. Our planning application will consider potential cumulative effects of nearby projects and the planning authority will ultimately decide each project on its own merits.
"Currently solar farms occupy less than 0.1% of the UK’s land. To meet the government’s target of 70GW, solar farms would at most account for approximately 0.6% of UK land, less than the amount currently occupied by golf courses.” Residents in Bunny are divided over the plans, with some pleased to see a turn to green energy and others concerned about the impact on the wildlife and a rising number of plans for solar farms in the area.
A 70 year old in the area who did not wish to be named explained she had "mixed feelings" over the proposal. She said: "I know solar farms are good for energy and all that sort of thing, but then you have to take into account the nature side of it and the wildlife and that sort of thing.
"I'm a bit on the fence about it." She explained that "there are a lot" of proposals for solar farms in the area at the moment.
She added: "If they had plenty of hedges around then and they hide it then it won't be so bad, but I am a bit on the fence." Speaking about the proposal, HR worker, Simon Gunn, 65, said: "As long as it doesn't spoil the countryside and fits in well with the countryside.
"Sometimes they shield them with trees, hedges and stuff. As long as it's not too much of an eyesore."
When asked if he knew much about the proposal, he said: "Vaguely, there's that much stuff on Facebook." He continued: "I wouldn't object to it.
"We have to look more for a greener future. You can't stop progress.
"The main thing for me is as long as it's not an eyesore, but we have to move with the times for greener energy." A retired resident in her eighties who did not wish to be named explained she was against the proposal.
She said: "I have got strong opinions and I'm not in favour. I think we need the land for growing food, not for generating energy."
Referencing the Old Wood Energy Park project and another nearby solar farm project, Highfields Solar Farm, she added: "I think there's permission for a third site too.
"I think we want to be looking at other ways of managing our energy use rather than just providing more of it."
