Plans for a solar farm north of the A127 which could power thousands of homes every year have been submitted.
Applicants for the new project on land west of Rayleigh say 13,000 tonnes of CO2 per year could be saved if given the go ahead which could power 11,000 homes or the equivalent of 16,000 electric vehicles every year.
It would connect to the grid via the nearby Rayleigh local electricity substation and will contribute to Essex County Council’s target of supplying all its energy from renewable sources by 2040.
Despite the land currently used for farming use sheep will still be able to graze among the panels.
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The plans have been submitted by Bristol-based renewable energy developer Aura Power to Rochford District Council who will decide on the application after residents have had the chance to give their views.
Simon Coulson, Director of Aura Power said: “The south coast of Essex is already at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change and Essex County Council are responding to this threat with ambitious targets for carbon free energy.
“The site we are proposing for Rayleigh solar farm is well suited for this type of development as it is sandwiched between a busy road and the railway line, with good level of natural screening which can be enhanced with new trees and hedgerows to hide it from many nearby homes.”
Local politicians seemed impressed with the plans. Stuart Wilson, a councillor who represents the nearby Hullbridge ward, welcomed the scheme as a chance for the UK to produce more of its own energy.
He said: “We’ve seen prices affected by the Ukraine crisis and we don’t want to be reliant on foreign fossil fuels.
“When these solar farms are done sensitively you can still use the land for grazing. Aesthetically some people don’t find them attractive but wind farm have much more of an impact than solar ones.”
Meanwhile environmental groups had more reservations. Jon Fuller, group coordinator for South East Essex Friends of the Earth, would prefer to see large-scale solar project implemented on the rooves of factories and distribution centres.
He added: “What we say is the priority should be getting solar panels on rooves. Local authorities should be making it mandatory.
“Once we’ve done that, we can look at solar panels on open farmland. The state of the climate crisis is so extreme we have to make compromises and that includes solar panels in places we would prefer not to have them.”
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