Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE), a UK-headquartered international developer of utility scale solar and battery storage projects, has commenced the community consultation for its second 50MWp solar farm in the UK. The proposed scheme which is located in North Hertfordshire 13 miles north-east of Stevenage will also include energy storage of up to 8MW/32MWh.
Subject to the outcome of its local consultation process and its environment and technical assessments, PACE is aiming to submit a planning application for the scheme before the end of the year (2021).
Today’s announcement follows the company’s recent success (September 6th 2021) in securing planning approval for a 26MWp solar farm in Norfolk – its third success so far this year, taking the company’s permitted pipeline of solar projects in the UK to more than 70MWp. PACE also has an additional 150MW of solar projects (some co-located with energy storage projects) in the public consultation/pre-planning stage.
Rob Shaw, who leads PACE’s planning team said: “PACE’s solar and energy storage projects are making a strong contribution to the UK’s drive towards NetZero and play our part in tackling the climate emergency. Importantly, our projects are clean and provide renewable power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.”
“But our ethos goes beyond this. On all our sites, we are working to integrate landscape and biodiversity improvements, and where possible increase accessibility to the countryside, so that the benefits can be felt by the communities in which we work.”
The proposed solar farm in Hertfordshire (known as Tophams) will cover approximately 60 hectares, and will generate enough energy to power nearly 15,759 homes. The project will also include energy storage so that the project can provide additional services to the grid and improve the flexibility and control of the energy it creates.
Rob Denman, Managing Director of Pathfinder Clean Energy said: “Bringing viable clean energy projects through the permitting system in the UK and in the other markets where we are active requires a careful and sensitive balance between local requirements and the national need.
“We are bringing forward renewable energy projects that form part of the effort to combat climate change, and they provide a low cost and low impact way to help power the countries in which we operate. The Tophams project, alongside our other schemes, will bring our pipeline of solar projects to over 300MW in late stage development or ready to construct, and these should enter operation within the next 1-2 years. Where possible, many of these projects will be co-located with energy storage to provide the flexibility that the energy system requires.”