Cumbria County Council has been granted permission for the construction of two new solar farm sites in Barrow.
Plans submitted by the county council last year to develop two 2MW solar farm sites on council owned land at Sandscale Park and Dova Way in Barrow have today been approved.
The two sites, which will total around nine hectares, will help the council to decarbonise its electricity supplies and future proof energy costs which have been identified as part of its Carbon Management Strategy 2022. This will bring about significant reductions in carbon for the council.
The two sites are expected to result in savings of around 1184 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per annum. This is the equivalent to the emissions of approximately 5,446 cars and would provide enough electricity to power approximately 1360 homes per year, based upon an average UK electricity consumption of 3,482 kWh per household.
In light of rising global energy prices, the development of these sites will also help boost the council’s energy sovereignty, independence and security.
Part of the developments include Biodiversity Enhancement Plans which include proposals such as increasing opportunities for pollinators, managing grassland sheep grazing levels, retention of bird nesting habitat, and woodland enhancement.
Councillor Celia Tibble, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said:
“This is a significant milestone for the county council. When we adopted the Carbon Management Strategy, we set ourselves ambitious targets to significantly reduce our own carbon footprint and these solar farm sites will go some way to helping us realise this.”
Councillor David Southward, Cumbria County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Property, added:
“This is welcome news and an example of us using our assets in an innovative way to meet a serious challenge. The rise in energy costs is affecting us all, and by creating these sites we’ll be able to generate our own energy and ensure security for the future, which can only be a positive thing.”
