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The National Infrastructure Commission has suggested that 121GW of solar energy is needed to help the UK meet the carbon emissions targets. Solar energy is a key part of the renewable energy mix to generate clean, homegrown energy that will help tackle energy prices and heighten energy security. It is quicker and easier to deploy than any other renewable energy generating technology. 

Solar is a key part of the renewable energy mix to generate clean, homegrown energy that will help tackle high energy prices and increase energy security by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. This site can make a significant contribution towards this. 

Solar is also the world’s lowest cost power technology and requires less capital investment and construction. Solar power costs have fallen about 85% since 2010, mainly driven by increasingly efficient production of solar panels, lower installation costs, and advances in materials technology. This makes it better placed to help deliver renewable energy now.

Statkraft’s site selection process took account of various constraints and opportunities, including agricultural land classification, to ensure the proposed solar farm is developed in the most appropriate location. The site selection process also took account of proximity to a possible grid connection, suitable topography and level of irradiance as well as avoiding statutory environmental designations.  

The site comprises 48.5% (37.4ha) of Grade 3a agricultural land (good quality), of which 26.9ha would be used for development within the fenced area. The remainder of the site is either moderate quality or non-agricultural.  

Cornwall Council policy allows solar farms on best and most versatile agricultural land (which includes Grade 3a land) where this can be exceptionally justified. Statkraft has demonstrated that there are no alternative sites of poorer quality land that could be used instead of the Speedwell site and has presented the case for exceptional justification as part of the planning application. 

Statkraft has looked into the availability of suitable, alternative sites of an equivalent size to the proposed Speedwell Solar Farm on brownfield or land of a lower agricultural grade. 

The Alternative Sites Assessment (ASA) identified 17 sites that were reviewed to ascertain if they were more suitable than the Speedwell site. All of these sites were located over 5km from the point of connection, significantly further than the Speedwell site, making them unlikely to be commercially viable. Many were also subject to other constraints such as proximity to the World Heritage Site and being scattered with a number of farmsteads.  There were no available brownfield sites of an equivalent size. 

The ASA concluded that there are no reasonable alternative locations of lesser agricultural and environmental value on which the proposed solar farm can be located. 

Environmental surveys have been undertaken by a team of specialist consultants to establish a baseline of current ecology and ornithological conditions in and around the site. A scoping report was submitted to Cornwall Council in early 2023. 

During summer 2023 further surveys and assessments on a range of environmental considerations were undertaken – including ecology, noise, visual impact and flooding – to inform the final proposal.

The proposed solar farm provides a good opportunity to enhance the biodiversity value of the site, which is currently predominantly arable land. 

During construction potential effects on habitats can be managed through measures secured through a detailed Construction Environmental Management Plan.  

During operation, habitats will be protected, managed and enhanced through the measures set out in the Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP). 

It is considered that the proposed development will conserve, protect and where possible enhance biodiversity interests and will deliver a biodiversity net gain significantly greater than the 10% required by policy, with a biodiversity net gain of 71% for the site’s habitats and a 15% net gain for hedgerows. 

The Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) explains the proposed routing strategy for construction traffic and considers the potential traffic impacts associated with construction.  

The proposed construction route and access was discussed with Cornwall Council Highways department at the pre-application stage and the approach was agreed in principle.  

The CTMP outlines the measures that will be taken to manage potential impacts on the roads during construction, which is expected to last 6-9 months. Measures include:  

Timing of deliveries outside school drop-off/pick-up hours 

Prescribed vehicle routing and signage strategy 

Cleaning of vehicles, to avoid mud on roads 

Waste management  

Once the solar farm is operational, vehicle trips will be infrequent and involve only light vehicles associated with cleaning of the solar PV arrays, vegetation clearance and general site maintenance. 

The application is supported by a Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) that outlines mitigation measures to minimise impact on the local road network during the construction phase of the solar farm.  

This includes construction traffic movements avoiding school drop off and collection times. The hours of construction would be controlled by a condition of the application if consented. 

The inclusion of a car park for the use of the Gwinear Community Primary School was positively received by local stakeholders during pre-application consultation.  

The car park will be provided to the west of Gwinear Community Primary School at the proposed new site entrance. This will provide circa 50 new car parking spaces. The car park will be used for construction vehicles during the construction period, and subsequently for exclusive use by the school.  

The car park forms part of the planning application and will have to be delivered if Speedwell Solar Farm is consented. 

Statkraft aims to work with the local communities in which it operates to bring long term value and deliver a project that can be considered a local asset. 

In developing the proposals for Speedwell Solar Farm, Statkraft explored ways in which the project could deliver benefits for the community.  

The use of an area of the site to the north of the primary school as an interactive biodiversity (wildlife) area was identified and discussed with stakeholders and the local community during consultation.  

The proposed Wildlife Area is a contained, managed and safe area providing an opportunity to enhance pupils’ access to nature and act as an educational resource to learn about different aspects of the environment including biodiversity, climate change and clean energy. 

The application is supported by a Flood Risk Assessment that assesses whether the development will increase flood risk elsewhere.  The majority of the site is at low risk of flooding and the proposed sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) will reduce the risk of flooding upstream and downstream, as well as improving surface water quality from the site, so the proposed development would not increase flood risk elsewhere.

During operation, most maintenance work will take place during daytime hours. On the rare occasions night-time maintenance is required, lighting will only be required in the vicinity of the works.  

Lights in the substation compound will be motion activated to comply with health and safety requirements and will switch off automatically when personnel leave. CCTV cameras use infra-red technology, which removes the need for the sort of night-time lighting that some residents have expressed concern about.  

Lighting maybe required during the construction phase and these impacts will be managed through measures set out in a Construction Environment Management Plan.  

The energy from the sun's radiations is referred to as solar energy. This energy is received as heat and light and can be converted to various useable forms - the most common being electricity. Photovoltaic cells convert the energy from solar radiations into electricity.

Energy generated with solar panels can be stored in batteries at sites such as our Greener Grid Parks, stored using technologies such as pumped storage or hydrogen electrolysis or used directly via the National Grid. 

Statkraft are involved in the development and operation of solar farms across the UK and Europe. Our acquisition of Solarcentury in 2020 has strengthened our skills and experience to deliver quality solar projects to renew the way the world is powered.

The SolarCentury team who joined Statkraft have developed and built out more than 75 solar farms across the UK since 2011, giving them unparalleled experience in solar development in the UK. 

The consultation took place in Summer 2023, followed by submission of the application to Cornwall Council in December 2023. If the application is successful, construction would take around 6-9 months, so the site could be generating solar power by late 2025.

A planning application for Speedwell Solar Farm was submitted to Cornwall Council in December 2023. The Council will now consult on the proposals. You can comment on the plans through Cornwall Council’s planning portal. 

Solar panels require daylight rather than direct sunlight. This means that a site will generate power even on an overcast day. 

Unfortunately, there are a limited number of rooftops which are suitable for large scale solar development. Rooftops can be too old, not at an optimal angle, made of the wrong materials or not enough roof space.