Industry NewsThe UK could soon face a deluge of applications for new large-scale solar farms. This would be a major boon for the country's renewable energy targets. However, the situation could also see the planning departments overwhelmed, causing delays in the schemes. The prospect of a significant increase in the use of the technology has been prompted by approval for a solar farm in Cornwall.
Planning permission has been given to convert the old Wheal Jane tin mine in Cornwall into the UK's first purpose-built solar farm. The ?4 million facility would include 6,000 individual solar panels and have a planned peak capacity of 1.3 MW. Project developer, 35?, aims to secure support for the scheme via the Feed in Tariff (FiT), which provides a financial incentive for renewable generation. There had been concerns that the FiT would be overhauled as part of the Government Spending Review. However, it was left unaltered, with the proviso it would be reviewed in 2013. There are now concerns that there will be a rush to get applications in for similar schemes before the FiT is reviewed.
The FiT scheme has resulted in a significant expansion in new small-scale renewable projects. However, it can also benefit larger-sized schemes. The latest estimates suggest future projects like that cleared in Cornwall will cover around 25,000 panels, or over four times the size of the Cornwall facility. The requirement for planning permission for a project this size could lead to the delays that have been feared. One of the problems being faced has been the realisation that schemes of this nature are not fully covered by current planning guidance. Cornwall council commented that the closest it could find to compare the Wheal Jane project to when approving it was to a large greenhouse. This highlights that the Government may need to step in to provide new guidance specific to the technology.
Bernard Ballard, Director of Marketing and Property for the Wheal Jane Group commented, "Securing the UK's first solar farm application is a significant first step in our plans to create one (of) the of the country's first business clusters harnessing low carbon energy from solar, wind, hydroelectric, bio-mass and geothermal resources. Up to 11MW of renewable energy could eventually be generated on the site."