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Jersey is on its way to getting its first ground-based solar farm, after the Planning Department recommended it for approval.
Jersey Electricity wants to install 7,500 ground-mounted, fixed-tilt solar photovoltaic panels in two agricultural fields which will operate for the next 40 years.
The fields, off Rue du Moulin à Vent in St. Clement, have been traditionally used for growing potatoes but will instead be used for grazing sheep, if the application is approved.
The decision will ultimately be one of the Planning Committee, but the officer overseeing the application is now recommending that the group of politicians pass it.
In reaching that conclusion, the officer writes: “The Island Plan supports the creation of larger-scale terrestrial renewable energy installations subject to a number of considerations.
“The applicant is seeking permission on the basis that the land will remain in agricultural use while generating clean energy for the island.
“The applicant has reviewed and assessed a range of alternative sites and locations, including those in the built-up area and glasshouse sites and has provided clear documentation as to why there are limited viable alternative sites to accommodate utility-scale solar arrays."
Pictured: The site of the proposed solar farm in St. Clement.
It continued: “While there are environmental impacts that will arise from the development, the Environment Impact Statement provides a range of mitigation measures to reduce and mitigate these impacts to an acceptable level.
“Given the above, this recommendation is made having taken into account the relevant policies of the approved Island Plan, together with other relevant policies and all other material considerations, including the consultations and representations received.
“The development is considered to be acceptable subject to appropriate conditions and a Planning Obligation Agreement to secure the continued agricultural use of the land and its decommissioning and restoration upon expiration of the permission.”
The officer also recommends a number of binding agreements attached to the permission.
These include it ceasing after 40 years, any associated plant operates below five decibels, and various plans are put in place before work starts.
If approved, the solar farm will generate approximately 4 MW of power, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of 634 average Jersey houses or 14% of the homes in the St. Clement.
It is the first of a number of solar sites being brought forward by Jersey Electricity, with the aspiration to deliver 25 MW of renewable energy, equivalent to approximately 5% of local annual demand. Approximately 30 hectares of land would be required to meet this ambition. The application site is 4.9 ha.
JE has also said that is wants to build a solar farm at Sorel.
The company says that the rationale for the applications is to accelerate renewable energy generation to meet Jersey’s energy sovereignty aims and the Carbon Neutral Strategy’s low-carbon energy policy.
If approved, the St. Clement array will take around three months to build. The maximum height of the panels will be 2.5m above ground level. The 7,500 panels will be mounted four modules high, with 3.5m between rows.
They will be fixed onto metal pilings, driven to a depth of around 1.5m below ground.
The panels will be visible to some neighbouring properties, but a ‘glint and glare’ study has found that there will be no significant impact on nearby residents.
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