Approval Given For Largest UK Solar Farm
Planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore has obtained planning permission on behalf of Lunar Energy for a new 50MW solar park on the site of a former RAF base near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire.
196,000 south-facing solar panels will cover 150 hectares at the former RAF Faldingworth. The facility will be the UK's largest solar farm. It will produce enough electricity to power over 12,000 homes, which is equivalent to a town the size of Mablethorpe, and will save over half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its lifetime compared to conventional methods of power generation.
The site was considered to be ideal for solar power: flat brownfield land, well-screened, and with very little impact on the surrounding countryside. It is anticipated that the solar farm will be in operation for up to 30 years.
RAF Faldingworth was used during the Second World War by Number 300 (Polish) Squadron. Before it was decommissioned in 1972, the base was used to store nuclear weapons.
Chris Collett of Barton Willmore said: "This under-utilised former airfield was an ideal site for solar energy because of the topography and limited visual impact. By providing clean energy to more than 10,000 homes it will make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions in Lincolnshire.
"We currently have relatively few large photovoltaic operations in the UK. This solar park marks another step towards the UK's aim of having 15% of all energy generated from renewables by 2020, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by moving to a low-carbon economy."
