Large solar farm to power thousands of homes
Folkestone and Hythe District Council plans to build the facility on agricultural land in Court-at-Street, Lympne, near the Otterpool Park site.
The solar farm will provide energy to 8,500 homes, which are due to be built on and around the former Folkestone Racecourse, near Sellindge, after receiving planning approval in 2023.
Council leader Jim Martin said the plans were to "create a credible pathway to a net-zero development".
The authority's final goal is to build 10,000 homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
At a cabinet meeting last week, it was revealed the scheme will generate £21m over the next three decades.
"One of the beauties of this is that the solar installation builds with the development," Mr Martin said.
"There's no point putting panels in the field when you haven't got houses to connect them to."
The solar farm, which could expand onto neighbouring land in the future, is set to be run by renewables firm SNRG.
Documents show that the site will be built in phases, with phase one covering an area of about 47 acres, and the second covering 49 acres.
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Battery storage site plans for solar farm
Plan for energy storage facility on green belt
Energy Park battery unit given green light
Folkestone & Hythe District Council
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Is Meta's Superintelligence Overhaul a Sign Its AI Goals Are Struggling?
Meta is splitting its AI division Meta Superintelligence Labs less than two months after the company announced its formation in June. The group will be split into four smaller groups, according to a New York Times report. One group will focus on AI research, another one on infrastructure and hardware projects, one on AI products, and another one on building out AI superintelligence, a hypothetical AI system that could outperform human intelligence on any and all scales. Facebook did not respond to a request for comment. Superintelligence is Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's holy grail, but the timeline on that could take years, maybe decades, and some experts are skeptical that AI can even reach superintelligence to begin with. Along with the restructuring, Meta is also looking at downsizing its AI division completely, although no final decision has been made on that. That may not be too surprising given the multi-billion dollar hiring spree summer Meta has been having, which is likely to cause some shareholders concern when the company next releases spending. The tech giant has poached top talent from OpenAI, Apple, and more the past few months, tempting the engineers with multi-year deals worth millions of dollars. On the company's latest earnings call, Meta CFO Susan Li said the company's skyrocketing capital expenditure spend would be driven first by AI investments and then by employee compensation. Although capex hikes should make investors queasy, the stock soared, because Meta showed huge wins for its ad revenue business, attributing it to AI, and promised even more payoffs in the future thanks to the superintelligence lab. The company is also apparently moving away from its previous stance that 'open source AI is the path forward,' as the tech giant contemplates licensing third-party artificial intelligence models, either by building on 'open-source' models or by licensing closed-source models. The aim with the restructuring is reportedly to streamline Meta's two top priorities: achieving the storied superintelligence, and to give the company a competitive edge in AI products, which it currently lacks. Zuckerberg first admitted that the company had fallen behind in the AI race back in April, and sparked a spending and restructuring frenzy. While AI has been helping the company's ad revenue business, the same can't be said for its products. Meta's consumer-facing AI app is widely disliked by users across the internet for its inconsistencies and shortcomings. While some investors are hopeful in Zuckerberg's determination to catch up to competitors in the AI race, and even deliver on superintelligence, the pressure is on for the Meta chief as this is not Zuckerberg's first rodeo with a multibillion dollar moonshot. The 'Metaverse,' Zuckerberg's first fringe-idea-baby that had him change the company's name over it, failed to scale out and delivered poor user adoption, despite the $20 billion poured into building it. In his quest to achieve his rather ambitious AI goals, Zuckerberg has known practically no boundaries, even sometimes sidestepping ethical ones. The company has allowed its generative AI assistants and chatbots to engage in 'sensual' conversations with minors, affirm racist beliefs and even generate false medical information, according to a Reuters report from last week. A Wall Street Journal report from April found that the company even allowed users to create an AI chatbot called 'Submissive Schoolgirl,' pretending to be an 8th grader. The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism opened a probe into the company's AI products on Friday in response to the Reuters report. A string of legal dramas have followed since. Texas attorney-general Ken Paxton said on Monday that his office will be opening an investigation into Meta over its chatbot's alleged impersonation of licensed mental health professionals and false claims of confidentiality. Meta's AI chatbots were under even more scrutiny this month after one of its chatbots led to a cognitively impaired New Jersey retiree's death. The chatbot had encouraged the man that she was a real human being and invited him to 'her' nonexistent New York apartment. Meta is scrambling to deliver on its ambitious promises and avoid a second Metaverse debacle, and the pressure is mounting for the company with each capital expenditure bump and restructuring decision. But in this path to success, the methods it uses to achieve superintelligence and AI market domination will be just as, if not more consequential, than whether or not it fails.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Homeowner takes legal action after blaming deceptive solar company for destroying house: 'I didn't know it was going to be this bad'
A Nevada woman is holding a solar provider accountable for damaging her home and creating costly and frustrating installation delays. As 8 News Now reported, Stacy Houston hired Titan Solar Power and signed a contract for solar installation to be completed within 60 days. However, the process has taken over 800 days and still isn't finished. Houston met with the Nevada State Contractors Board and complained that Titan had left unsightly electrical equipment alongside her home. She is not alone in her issues with Titan; dozens of homeowners have filed complaints against the company. Titan faces a long list of violations regarding installation delays, abandoned worksites, and more. The company's license has been on probation and suspended in Nevada. "I didn't know it was going to be this bad," Houston said. While Houston's situation is undoubtedly frustrating, it is not what most homeowners experience when they install solar panels. Since going solar is a major investment, doing your research and choosing a reputable installation company you can trust is crucial. Fortunately, platforms like EnergySage make it easy to shop for solar based on where you live. EnergySage's free, unbiased service allows you to compare solar quotes and client reviews from top-rated installers and choose one with the help of a professional energy advisor — with many users saving up to $10,000 on installation thanks to a competitive bidding process. But if you're considering upgrading your home to solar energy to save money on utility bills, now is the time to act, with tax incentives of up to 30% expiring at the end of 2025. Another homeowner shared her experience with Titan on an 8 News Now Facebook post, writing, "They never call back i have tried for a year and half to get battery back up installed." Someone else commented on a post in the "titan solar scam" Facebook group: "Titan screwed people all across the country! Our system was 66,500! Never completed!" Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
'A little miracle': Dozens of volunteers help launch 'blitz build' project in Johnstown
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Dozens of volunteers joined hands in a prayer circle early Monday as the Rev. Donn Ed, executive director and founder of Hosanna Industries, offered a few words about their efforts to 'make a little miracle happen here in Johnstown.' A few minutes later, Ed, a former Upper Yoder Township resident, and the rest of the crew started 'blitz' building a new home on the 700 block of Somerset Street in Johnstown's Kernville neighborhood. Construction of the structure is expected to be completed by Thursday, when it will be gifted to Navy veteran Darren Hill through the combined contributions of the Polacek Veteran Home Initiative, Vision Together 2025 and Allegheny County-based Hosanna Industries. PHOTO GALLERY | Polacek Veteran Home Initiative | Walls and Roof Construction | Somerset Street 'There's excitement,' said Becky Hetzer, director of missional resources for Hosanna Industries, which provides many services, including helping at-need homeowners preserve their properties by doing free repairs. 'There's joy. I know that the homeowner has been waiting for this home for months. It's exciting to be part of something that's bigger than yourself. That's what today is about, because it's about a lot of strangers coming together for one purpose and one goal, and that's to build a house this week.' Most volunteers were local, but other helpers came from elsewhere in the U.S. There were skilled laborers and people with no construction experience working together. WATCH VIDEO | Polacek Veteran Home Initiative 'blitz build' begins The Polacek Veteran Home Initiative 'blitz build' project gets underway with a prayer in Johnstown on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. 'This is going to be great,' volunteer Stacy Martin said. 'In four days, this house is going to be complete, and we're going to be part of it. It's just an amazing thing that they're doing here for a veteran.' Martin was among a group of 1st Summit Bank employees who joined in the effort. 'Well, at 1st Summit Bank, we're all a big family there, so we take care of each other, we take care of our community,' Martin said. Polacek Veteran Home Initiative | Walls and Roof Construction | Somerset Street Rob Hetzer, volunteer electrician of Slippery Rock, assembles the electrical panel during the Polacek Veteran Home Initiative 'Blitz Build' event on Somerset Street in downtown Johnstown on Monday, August 18, 2025. Dr. Martin Little, whose father was a colleague of Ed's, came in from Sacramento, California. 'No other institution builds a whole home in four days. … It's a phenomenon,' Little said. Asheville, North Carolina, resident Anthony Greco, Ed's nephew, was participating in his first Hosanna Industries project. Polacek Veteran Home Initiative | Walls and Roof Construction | Somerset Street Local volunteer Jaden Gordon, of Johnstown, cuts shingles during the Polacek Veteran Home Initiative 'Blitz Build' event on Somerset Street in downtown Johnstown on Monday, August 18, 2025. 'It seemed like a really cool experience and a good thing to do. … It won't be the last. This is cool. I'll probably be up again,' Greco said. The four-day construction project is the culmination of months of preparation work that included a panel of local veterans selecting Hill to receive the home from among numerous applicants. 'The whole concept of it going to a person that not only has been recognized for service to their country, but also recognized for their service and their volunteerism in Johnstown, it's a huge thing,' said retired Army Col. Jeff Pounding, who helped organize the selection process. Solve the daily Crossword
