Plans for huge solar farm

A huge solar farm potentially supplying power for 10,000 homes is planned for South Holland.

The site at Caudwell Farm, Holbeach St Matthew, will be just under 110 hectares (271 acres) and will be connected to the national grid with an underground cable of around a mile.

More than 5,000 solar panels will be installed at the site, approximately the size of 204 football fields.

The land will also be grazed by livestock while the array is in operation.

The plans have been drawn up by Green Energy International which has sites around the UK – the nearest being in Milton Keynes.

Public consultation is about to launch on the project which could see almost 50mw of energy generated in South Lincolnshire.

The solar arrays will rotate on an axis throughout the day to follow the sun’s path across the sky.

“Climate change is an extremely real threat to the UK, especially South Holland, being so close to the coast. Flood projections over the next 100 years suggest the current rates of sea level rise will see much of Lincolnshire under water before 2100.

“Projects such as Caudwell Farm play a vital part in helping to prevent these life-threatening events from happening and will provide a significant step towards meeting the UK’s goals of net-zero emissions by 2030,” said James Lister, planning and analyst at the company.

There will be a virtual public exhibition for the project on Monday, August 16. The event will not be held in person but information will be available on 0161 696 7331 or by email to: mat@greenenergy-int.com or see the website www.cauldwellfarm.com

The Caudwell Farm site will be operational for at least 25 years, subject to the length of the lease agreement.

Work is not likely to start at the site, assuming permission is granted, for another two years, said Mr Lister.

Green Energy International was first incorporated in 2009 and has developed a wide range of solar installations, from rooftop to large-scale ground projects like the Caudwell Farm plan.

The company has added more than 300mw of renewable energy into the national grid and aims to keep developing solar farms over the coming years.

The construction of the project will see a one-way system to limit the amount of HGV movements on minor roads in the area.

The construction phase is likely to last around 12 weeks, with the highest frequency of traffic for between two and three weeks.

All the HGVs will be subject to regular wheel cleaning and a road sweeper will be in operation around the site.

Once it is complete the solar farm will be run by one, or a small number, of operators who will perform any maintenance.

At the end of the operation the site will be decommission and deconstructed. The land will be reinstated to an agreed state of previous use.