5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Developer lodges plans for second Wicklow solar farm with 40-year lifespan
Located in the townland of Ballymoney, just off the M11, the proposed development is the second planned by BNRG Ballymoney Limited, which received consent for a solar farm (covering up to 9.8-hectares) on a neighbouring 19-hectare site in 2019, despite two submissions raising concerns around privacy, biodiversity and visual impact, before being approved by An Bord Pleanála in 2020 after a third party appeal.
BNRG Ballymoney Limited's latest application proposes to construct PV panels mounted on metal support structures arranged in rows running east to west, covering a total area of 31.6 sqm, along with a battery energy storage system (BESS), with access provided via the neighbouring, approved solar farm.
As revealed in a search of Wicklow County Council (WCC) and An Bord Pleanála planning portals by Neo Environmental, acting on behalf of BNRG Ballymoney Limited, '10 solar farms are consented within a 5km radius of the application site'.
The solar farm, battery energy storage system BESS and main infrastructure, including inverter stations, MV stations, new access tracks, underground cabling, a temporary construction compound and a substation, will occupy five fields of agricultural land currently being used for arable farming, with perimeter fencing surrounding it, 16 CCTV cameras and access gates.
In Neo Environmental Ltd's planning statement, a consultant noted that, overall, the proposed footprint constitutes a 'relatively small percentage of the total area of the application site', with 16,687.5 sqm allocated for infrastructure (c. 6.14pc of the site area).
Commenting on the proposed 40-year lifespan of the development, the consultant noted that WCC would appreciate from their experience with renewable energy projects that developers have 'historically used an operational period of approximately 30 years when seeking planning consent for such schemes'.
'These timescales were initially led by manufacturing guidelines and were originally based upon the expected lifespan of the infrastructure incorporated within the proposals,' they wrote.
'However, by virtue of technological advancements and industry experience, evidence now indicates that the expected operational lifespan of modern solar PV technology significantly exceeds the previously estimated 30 years.
'The proposed layout and design is considered to strike an optimum balance between clean energy production and all environmental and technical considerations.'
A decision is due on the application by July 9, with public submissions accepted by Wicklow County Council until June 18.
