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Glenniston Solar Farm & Battery Storage Project

Introduction

Renewco Power are delighted to announce that planning permission was granted for Glenniston Solar Farm in April 2024 after the planning application for a 39 Megawatt (MW) solar farm with 10 MW co-located battery storage was submitted on land at Glenniston Farm, Auchtertool, Fife in September 2023.

Further details of the proposals are set out in the following sections.

Location

The proposed development site is in Fife approximately 1.5km to the north of the village of Auctertool, at grid reference NT21281 92600, as shown on the image.

Our Proposal

The proposal is for a 39MW solar farm with 10MW co-located battery storage and associated infrastructure. The final layout as submitted to Fife Council is shown below and accompanies the planning application. Full details of the planning application can be found here: 23/02598/FULL.

Indicative Development Timescale

Q1 2021

Site Selection

2022-2023

Preliminary Assessments Site Design and Public Engagement

Q3 2023

Planning Application

2025

Discharge of Planning conditions – 2024/25

2026

Construction

2027

Operation

2067

Decommissioning

Why is this project needed?

The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, which amends the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, sets targets to reduce Scotland’s emissions of all greenhouse gases to net zero by 2045 at the latest, with interim targets for reductions of at least 56% by 2020, 75% by 2030, and 90% by 2040. Furthermore, there is a national target to generate 50% of Scotland’s overall energy consumption via renewable means by 2030. Significant additional renewable energy capacity, over and above what is produced today, will therefore be needed to facilitate the decarbonisation of transport and heating as Scotland transitions to net zero.

The solar farm element of the scheme will have an export capacity of 39 MW. A solar farm of this size is expected to generate and export approximately 53 Gigawatt Hours (GWh) of renewable energy every year. This is equivalent to the typical annual electricity demand of c. 18,000 homes in the UK. The proposed solar farm will also offset approximately 22,590 tonnes of CO2 in its first year of operation, using National Grid 2021 averages. This represents a significant contribution to the UK’s legally binding national and international targets to increase renewable energy generation capacity and reduce carbon emissions.

The 10 MW battery storage element could have a storage capacity of up to 20 Megawatt Hours (MWh) per full charge depending on the technology used. For comparison, the average UK household uses around 3.731 MWh of energy across an entire year. On this basis, a single full charge could provide sufficient energy to power around five homes for 12 months (although in reality the project is not likely to be used in this way as it will be used to balance the wider National Grid network as needed).

Upcoming public engagement activities

Two public consultation events have been held in connection to this project, one in May 2022 and the second in August 2023. The feedback received during this process has been incorporated into the design of the proposed development where feasible. Further details of the public engagement activities undertaken to date, the feedback received, and how this has been incorporated into the final design can be found in the Pre-application Consultation Report which accompanies the planning application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Solar technologies capture solar radiation from the sun and turn it into useful forms of energy. Photovoltaic (PV) panels comprise several PV cells (which typically produce 1-2 watts of power each) with a whole panel typically producing 250-500 watts depending on the make and model. These PV cells are made of different semiconductor materials, such as silicone, and are sandwiched between protective materials in a combination of glass and / or plastics. When a photon of light from the sun strikes the semiconductor material, it displaces charged particles known as electrons and creates an electrical current. This Direct Current (DC) electricity is then able to be extracted via conductive metal contacts and converted to Alternating Current (AC) electricity via inverters for transmission via the National Grid network.

The construction period is expected to take approximately 10 months, and during this time there will be deliveries of equipment to the site. However, the heavy construction period which generates the most traffic is only expected to last 6 months. To manage the potential impacts, Renewco Power and Locogen have put in place measures to control construction traffic and minimise disruption to local roads. The proposed measures are detailed in the Outline Construction Phase Traffic Management Plan included in the Transport Assessment submitted with the planning application.

If consented, the Glenniston Solar Farm & Battery Storage project will be subject to a planning condition restricting the total length of the operational period to a maximum of 40 years. At the end of this period, the project will be required to be fully decommissioned, and the land reinstated to its pre-existing condition as agricultural land to the satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority. The details of these decommissioning activities will be secured via a Decommissioning Plan to be submitted for the Council’s approval before the end of the project’s lifespan.

A desktop Noise Impact Assessment has been carried out and a report submitted as part of the planning application. This report concludes that the operational noise from the project would be low in absolute terms and would comply with the proposed noise limits during all periods of the day and night. The noise from the facility is not expected to be audible and the resultant impact across all receptor locations has been assessed as being low. Nevertheless, the final proposals do include acoustic screening to the south of the battery storage equipment to ensure there is no adverse impact on nearby residents.

The battery storage system is designed to have a very low risk of failure. However, in the unlikely event that a failure should occur, monitoring equipment including fire detection and fire prevention systems will be installed within the containerised battery units to ensure that any fires remain under control. The site access will also be designed to ensure that fire appliances can safely access and egress the site. Renewco Power and Locogen will continue to monitor industry best practice to ensure that the highest standards of safety are maintained for these units.

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