B&NES Council have approved a planning application for a solar PV farm at Marksbury, just to the west of Bath.
The solar PV farm will:
- have over 8000 panels with a capacity of 2.3 MW
- will be the largest in the B&NES area and provide Bath with 2% of its renewable energy target and increase its current renewable capacity by 400%
- it will provide enough electricity for 575 homes, enough to power Marksbury and a number of surrounding villages
- it will occupy 12 acres, the intention is that the area around the panels will become a wild-flower meadow or be used for grazing of sheep
There is an opportunity for community ownership which Bath & West Community Energy is currently discussing with the developers.
The scheme still has one last hurdle to surmount – it requires approval from Eric Pickles, Minister at the Department of Communities and Local Government.