South Staffordshire Council has consented a 22.5MW solar PV power plant developed by Renewable Connections, a solar and battery developer set up by Armstrong Capital Management.
Renewable Connections submitted the application for Deepmore Solar Farm to the council in October 2023.
The site will be in Four Ashes, South Staffordshire and construction is set to begin in 2025. It comes with a community benefit fund of over £45,000. The £2,000/MW fund will be paid to Brewood and Coven Parish Council once the solar farm is energised, with a further £2000/year index-linked contribution to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and £1000/year index-linked to a local registered charity.
Philip Hale, Chief Operations Officer at Renewable Connections said: “Since declaring a climate change emergency in 2019, South Staffordshire Council have reduced their carbon emissions by 43% and been hailed a net zero leader. The consent of this project, which will deliver carbon neutral renewable energy to nearly 8,000 homes, underlines the Council’s ongoing commitment to this important issue.”
The project will also provide landscape, ecological and biodiversity benefits. South Staffordshire Council’s consent marks the developer’s 21st project consent since 2021; most recently, a 43.7MW solar farm and 10MW battery energy storage system was okayed by North East Lincolnshire Council.
The developer emphasises the community consultation phase of a project, with Hale saying “Deepmore Solar Farm has been well-received within the local community and we were delighted with the positive feedback during the comprehensive consultation process.”
Solar industry trade association Solar Energy UK recently published a Community Engagement Good Practice Guidance report intended to help solar developers build good relationships with local communities.
Labour party accelerates UK solar development
The industry has welcomed Ed Miliband as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero as the Labour party came to power with green policy as a key focus. Within his first few days in power, he removed the de facto ban on onshore wind and granted development consent orders to three major solar-based projects – two of which had been delayed by his predecessor – with a combined generation capacity of 1.3GW.
However, more needs to be done. A recent report by Cornwall Insight forecasts that solar and wind will account for 44% of the UK’s electricity generation, well below the 67% that modellers say is necessary for a decarbonised electricity system.
Projections show that a 55GW increase in solar generation capacity is needed for a zero carbon electricity system; projections for 2030 see it reaching 45GW.
