Solar farm capable of powering 2,200 homes put forward for Sutton farmland

Hamilton Solar has put forward the plans for the 23-acre land off Hamilton Way and Cauldwell Road, between Sutton and Mansfield, in the hope of creating a renewable energy source for thousands of local residents.

Documents published by the company confirm three ‘small-to-medium sized’ agricultural fields would be used to house the solar farm.

The company says this land was chosen due to its close links with a nearby electricity substation and because it is near a large industrial area.

This, it says, will allow the industrial units to ‘benefit from the zero carbon power generated by the park’.

As part of the plans, the areas around the solar farm would be available for farming use – with sheep able to graze the fields throughout the solar farm’s proposed 30-year lifespan.

The company proposes leasing the land for this period, alongside two years for creating and dismantling the solar farm, before it is decommissioned and converted back to its current condition.

In statements submitted to Ashfield Council, the company said: “The proposed solar farm will use solar panels fixed to the ground using metal pipes and supporting infrastructure.

“This translates into the generation of about 8.01 Gigawatt hours of clean renewable energy each year, which will be supplied to nearby homes, industrial units and businesses via a connection to the electricity grid.

“This will be enough to power in excess of about 2,200 homes. The site will also be designed to enable continued agriculture in the form of grazing of small animals such as sheep, while also considerably enhancing biodiversity.

“The scheme will be operational for up to 30 years and so the application is for 30 years, plus up to one additional year each for construction and decommissioning; totalling 32 years.

“Once decommissioned, the plant will be removed and the site returned to its current condition.”

Hamilton Solar is part of a wider company named RE Projects Development, which has created a number of solar parks in the UK.

Under the plans, the solar farm would be accessed via Hamilton Road using an existing access point, which the companies plan to improve as part of the development.