We would like to thank everyone who engaged with the early design process for Green Hill Solar Farm. Today we are publishing a report which summarises the feedback we received during the early-stage workshops held in March and May this year.

The report provides a summary of the workshops, including the information presented and discussed. It outlines the key themes from the comments received and explains how this feedback is being incorporated into the project design process for Green Hill Solar Farm.

The report is available to view and download on our website – click here.

About the project

Green Hill Solar Farm has the potential to deliver a maximum power output of 500 megawatts (MW) – enough to power approximately 115,000 households annually – and become a substantial source of electricity for the country. The energy storage element of the scheme will help store surplus renewable energy and then deploy it to the national grid when needed.

Hitting net zero targets

To hit the government’s net zero and climate change targets, boosting our solar energy generation is essential and this is set out in Labour’s manifesto pledge, Make Britain a clean energy superpower (2024). We need a large amount of renewable energy in the system to help ensure energy security and combat climate change. Ground-mounted solar installation plays an important role, alongside alternative sources of renewable energy, to achieve the government’s ambitious targets.

Solar panels currently take up 0.1% of the UK’s land, and the UK government forecasts that between 5 and 7 times the current area occupied by solar PV will be required to meet the UK’s energy needs. Whilst there is a need for more rooftop solar generation, the latest Energy Security Strategy continues to recognise that ground-mounted solar has the capacity to contribute a much larger amount of electricity generation than rooftop technologies. It is very likely impossible for the government to achieve its goal of 50GW by 2030 without the use of ground-mounted solar sites.

The independent National Food Strategy Review shows that solar farms do not present a risk to the UK’s food security and agricultural land. The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs has estimated that climate change could reduce the UK’s stock of high-grade agricultural land by three quarters by 2050. According to the National Farmers Union (NFU), solar farms have a relatively modest land take and environmental impact compared to other forms of low-carbon energy production such as wind power, bioenergy and even other non-food land use such as golf courses, horse paddocks or pharmaceutical crops.

Green Hill Solar Farm would generate low-carbon electricity, helping to address climate change, protecting the UK’s land and improving long-term food security.

Green Hill Solar Farm will also:

• generate clean, renewable energy for the UK and reduce our reliance on imported energy;
• support local employment by providing local contractors and suppliers the opportunity to be part of the development of Green Hill Solar Farm;
• support continued agricultural use of the land such as sheep grazing and planting;
• provide major environmental benefits and improve biodiversity by creating new habitats for wildlife;
• retain existing footpaths and increase connectivity through the creation of new footpaths and bridleways;
• deliver considerably higher levels of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) compared to other types of development through new mitigation planting and landscaping; and
• deliver a community benefit fund for the lifetime of the project.

About the planning process

Due to the potential energy capacity proposed for the Green Hill Solar Farm, the project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). The planning permission to build and operate the project requires Island Green Power to submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) application.  Once submitted, the Green Hill Solar Farm DCO application would be examined by the Planning Inspectorate, the independent body responsible for examining NSIPs. They in turn would make a recommendation on the project application to the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The Secretary of State will then make the final decision on the DCO application.

About Contracts for Difference

We have received a number of enquiries regarding Contracts for Difference (CfDs) and what they are. A CfD is a contract between a low-carbon electricity generator and the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC), a government-owned company, to incentivise investments in renewable energy projects in the UK.  More information on CfDs can be found here. The planning application for Green Hill Solar Farm is unrelated and does not rely upon a CfD.

Next Steps

We are considering the feedback received at the workshops to refine and evolve the more detailed layout and design. A more detailed draft plan for Green Hill Solar Farm will be published for the public to comment on as part of our statutory consultation, anticipated to take place later in winter. This is when we will invite the local community to attend a variety of events, meet the team, and provide further feedback.

The comments received during the consultation will help inform our detailed project design before we submit our final DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate.

More information about how to take part in the public consultation and further outcomes from our technical assessments will be available over the coming months.

If you have any further comments in the meantime, we encourage you to contact us via email at info@greenhillsolar.co.uk or by calling the Community Relations Freephone on 0800 012 9882. You can also visit our website www.greenhillsolar.co.uk to find out more.