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A new solar farm that could generate enough energy to power more than 1,500 homes could be built at Sorel Point, if Planning agrees.
Jersey Electricity has announced that it wants to install a second array of ground-mounted panels in fields, part of a project to generate 11m kilowatts a year.
In July, the company announced plans to build its first ground-mounted solar farm on 48 vergées of land south of Rue du Moulin à Vent in St. Clement, which – if approved – will generate four megawatts of power, which is enough to power 400 homes a year.
Now Jersey Electricity says it wants to build a slightly smaller array on agricultural land close to Ronez Quarry and the motocross track.
The company says that the array will be well screened from the cliff path and surrounding area by established hedgerows.
The proposals include improving those hedgerows, planting more native species, providing bat and bird nesting boxes and marks the end of fertiliser and pesticide use, which it expects will enhance biodiversity in the area.
Pictured: The proposed solar farm. The road running alongside the northern section of fields bordered in red is Rue de Sorel, which leads down to Sorel Point.
JE adds that it plans to work with local ecologists to manage the site to the same standards as the Coastal National Park.
It stresses that ground solar arrays are temporary structures with no concrete foundation, allowing the land to be returned to how it was at the end of the life of the array.
JE Chief Executive Chris Ambler said: “There is a clear desire for Jersey to be more energy independent and we believe that ground-mounted solar PV, which is the most cost effective of all the solar projects, can now play an increasing and valuable role as part of Jersey’s energy mix while we continue to research the viability of offshore wind.”
Until this year, JE has focused on bringing roof-based solar on to the grid with four main installations on its Power Station, Queen’s Road Solar Hub, Woodside Farm, and the largest solar PV array in the Channel Islands at Jersey Dairy, currently generating a combined one million kilowatt-hours a year.
A further array on the roof of the Albert Bartlett potato processing plant in St Helier is set to produce a further half a million kWhs a year and will supersede others as the largest in the Channel Islands.
JE will hold a public consultation on Tuesday 20 September between 10:00 and 20:00 at St. John's Parish Hall. The company say that feedback given there will help inform its planning application.
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