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Released February 02, 2022 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The largest proposed solar park project in the U.K. has entered the consultation phase with a planning application due to be submitted by the end of the year.
Low Carbon, the developer behind the proposed 500-megawatt (MW) Gate Burton Energy Park on land near Gate Burton, Lincolnshire, said the consultation process is underway and will run until February 18. The panels will be installed on a single site comprising some 684 hectares (1,690 acres). When commissioned it will be capable of supplying enough clean energy to power more than 160,000 homes and offset over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. Industrial Info is also tracking plans by the company to install a 150-MW battery energy storage system (BESS) on-site. Assuming the project receives a Development Consent Order and approval by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, construction could start in 2024.
Mike Rutgers, development director at Low Carbon said: "This is a major milestone for Low Carbon. We have reached a point in our development process where we are able to share details of our early-stage proposals for Gate Burton Energy Park and start a conversation with local people to understand their thoughts on the scheme. We're looking forward to using this consultation as an opportunity to start building a dialogue with the local communities so they can share their views on our work so far and help us to refine the project we take forward."
The energy storage system will, according to Low Carbon, provide an "important balancing service for the national grid" by allowing the renewable electricity generated by the panels to be stored on site at times when grid-demand is low, then exported at times of higher demand. "Gate Burton Energy Park would make a vital contribution by ensuring the supply of clean electricity to U.K. consumers when it is needed", Rutgers added. "It's really important to us that as many people as possible take part in this consultation...we want to ensure that communities living and working in the area have a chance to inform and influence the development of our proposals from an early stage."
To date, the U.K. has an installed solar capacity in excess of 13.5-gigawatts (GW), with the 72-MW Shotwick Solar Farm being the largest. Annual generation was slightly under 13 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2020, accounting for just over 4.1% of U.K. electricity consumption. Last year, the government granted permission for the much larger Cleve Hill--now renamed The Fortress--grassroot solar farm, a 350-MW development to be located on almost 900 acres of land in Kent, England. When completed in 2023, the 880,000 panels will generate three times more than the current largest U.K. solar farm and power approximately 100,000 homes, while reducing carbon emissions by 164,450 tonnes in its first year of operations.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
Low Carbon, the developer behind the proposed 500-megawatt (MW) Gate Burton Energy Park on land near Gate Burton, Lincolnshire, said the consultation process is underway and will run until February 18. The panels will be installed on a single site comprising some 684 hectares (1,690 acres). When commissioned it will be capable of supplying enough clean energy to power more than 160,000 homes and offset over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. Industrial Info is also tracking plans by the company to install a 150-MW battery energy storage system (BESS) on-site. Assuming the project receives a Development Consent Order and approval by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, construction could start in 2024.
Mike Rutgers, development director at Low Carbon said: "This is a major milestone for Low Carbon. We have reached a point in our development process where we are able to share details of our early-stage proposals for Gate Burton Energy Park and start a conversation with local people to understand their thoughts on the scheme. We're looking forward to using this consultation as an opportunity to start building a dialogue with the local communities so they can share their views on our work so far and help us to refine the project we take forward."
The energy storage system will, according to Low Carbon, provide an "important balancing service for the national grid" by allowing the renewable electricity generated by the panels to be stored on site at times when grid-demand is low, then exported at times of higher demand. "Gate Burton Energy Park would make a vital contribution by ensuring the supply of clean electricity to U.K. consumers when it is needed", Rutgers added. "It's really important to us that as many people as possible take part in this consultation...we want to ensure that communities living and working in the area have a chance to inform and influence the development of our proposals from an early stage."
To date, the U.K. has an installed solar capacity in excess of 13.5-gigawatts (GW), with the 72-MW Shotwick Solar Farm being the largest. Annual generation was slightly under 13 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2020, accounting for just over 4.1% of U.K. electricity consumption. Last year, the government granted permission for the much larger Cleve Hill--now renamed The Fortress--grassroot solar farm, a 350-MW development to be located on almost 900 acres of land in Kent, England. When completed in 2023, the 880,000 panels will generate three times more than the current largest U.K. solar farm and power approximately 100,000 homes, while reducing carbon emissions by 164,450 tonnes in its first year of operations.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
