Lightsource Announce Community Access To PV Projects
Lightsource Renewable Energy has announced a on line portal for UK communities to view proposals of up and coming solar farms.
"Rt Hon Greg Barker MP, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change recently announced that solar farm developers should demonstrate responsible development and environmental stewardship with any proposed scheme, we hope that this portal will show just that," Conor McGuigan, Director of Planning & Development for Lightsource comments.
Through a series of community information events all around the country this year, Lightsource took local feedback on board and has now made accessing information to their proposed solar farms across the country readily available, at everyone's fingertips (quite literally).
Conor continues, "We have been inspired to take matters up a notch, trying to find that valuable balance between paper and technology. This portal cannot replace our entire mail-out process. What it enables us to do though, is interactively demonstrate our pictures and videos up-front before people come to meet us." Conor, continues.
Community Information evenings are held by Lightsource once they have identified a suitable land area for a solar farm. The Lightsource Planning Team then carry out a series of surveys and technical checks whilst consulting the local community on their views and thoughts. Only once local feedback is obtained do the Lightsource Planning Team consider making a planning application.
Conor elaborates further, "We hold our information evenings early because we value the feedback from the local community. Inevitably, our proposals will be refined based on the information we receive. The portal will be a nice way of keeping in touch with everyone so they can provide feedback to us and view updates to our proposals when they happen."
The portal will also be used by Lightsource as an educational tool to combat the common myths of solar farms.
"The possibilities are endless with an online portal. The video function will enable us to address myths like noise, glare and industrialisation, so everyone can see that solar farms are passive in nature. If teachers are interested in solar technology, the portal is friendly enough to be used in schools as well."
"We believe we are the first solar developers in the UK to invest in such technology and we hope to set an example for the rest out there. Community engagement and open channels of communication are key in delivering responsible developments." Conor concludes
