Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE), a UK-headquartered international developer of utility scale solar and battery storage projects, has commenced the community consultation for a 50MW solar farm, its largest UK subsidy-free solar project to date. The proposed ground-mounted scheme is located near the Suffolk town of Diss.
A planning application for the scheme will be submitted before the end of the summer.
The Diss project is the fourth solar farm that PACE is seeking to develop in the UK. The company now has more than 100MW of solar capacity in various stages of the planning process, with an additional 400MW of solar and solar+Storage projects in the UK expected to be brought forward in the next 24 months.
Alex Ross, Director of PACE Developments in the UK said: “PACE’s inhouse planning team identified the Diss site as ideal for solar, and is now carrying out additional analysis to support the planning application. Solar generation is important for the UK in its drive towards Net Zero and having a country’s clean energy infrastructure.
“We have shared our plans for an ecologically-led solar farm with the local parish council which will see the land continue to be used for agriculture. We plan to take measures to increase the site’s biodiversity and will plant additional hedgerows as well. Further consultation with the local community will be undertaken before we submit our application.
The proposed solar farm (known as Grange) will cover approximately 90 hectares, and will generate enough energy to power nearly 15,480 homes.