The solar PV project is to be developed alongside a Greener Grids Park if Statkraft's planning application is approved. Image: Statkraft.
Norwegian energy giant Statkraft has submitted a planning application for a new solar farm in Yorkshire dubbed the Soay Solar Farm, as well as a Greener Grid Park.
The Soay Solar Farm will use photovoltaic cells to generate up to 49.99MW of electricity, while the Greener Grid Park is a project that expands National Grid’s capacity to utilise more renewable electricity on the network. Both projects are to connect to the national electricity network via an existing substation at Thornton.
Other Green Grid Parks across the UK include one in Moray, Scotland, which features two Rotating Stabiliser synchronous machines, and a site in Swansea which was granted planning permission last year and is to feature an energy management system building and 12 containerised battery storage units.
“The Soay Solar Farm will generate a large amount of sustainable electricity and the Greener Grid Park will optimise the uptake of that electricity to the national grid, meaning the two projects are entirely complimentary," Charlotte Healey, project director for the solar farm, said.
Stakraft said the new solar site in Yorkshire was chosen due to it benefitting from high exposure to the sun. It currently consists of moderate-quality farmland that is only suitable for lower yields of crops, has a low risk of flooding and is not located in a protected ecological or landscape area.
The company also estimates that the proposal will enhance the biodiversity value of the site by over 10 times via the planting of native trees, hedgerows and meadowland that will support pollinating insects and birdlife.
There will also be opportunities for local businesses to tender for work in the construction phase of the development.
Last year, Statkraft announced plans for three new utility-scale solar energy farms in the UK with a combined capacity of 125.5MWp. The year prior, Statkraft Ireland acquired a portfolio of 275MWdc of solar from Lightsource bp.