November 2013
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Renwable Energy Feature 2013
Power boom hits countryside with plans for 2,000 solar farms
More than 2,000 solar farms could
be built by 2020 under a government
plan to subsidise an eight-fold
increase in solar power.
Many of the farms will be built on
open countryside despite a pledge
from ministers to focus on installing
panels on factory rooftops, former
industrial sites and abandoned
airfields.
A “solar roadmap” published
yesterday by the Department
of Energy and Climate Change
proposes to increase solar power
over the next seven years from
2.4GW to 20GW, which would
generate enough electricity to power
6 million homes
Elgin Energy exhibits Perthshire solar farm plans
Plans for one of the largest solar farms range of sizes which means a vast
to be created in Scotland are going on range of people and businesses can
public display in Perthshire.
use them. Single households to small
Bristol-based firm Elgin Energy want towns and villages can make good use
to cover a 100-acre site at Carse
of range of wind turbines available
of Gowrie on the Errol estate with
today.
70,000 solar panels.
The company said the project could Google is upping its game in the green
power more than 5,000 homes if
sector, with its “lucky thirteenth”
given the go ahead.
investment in renewable energy.
The plans will be on public display
The online search engine giant is
at West Carse Public Hall, Main
committing $103 million (£64.5m)
Street, Glencarse from 16:30-1900 on for a 265.7MW solar farm in Imperial
Wednesday.
County in California.
Elgin Energy has yet to launch a
The Mount Signal Solar project
planning application for the solar farm (pictured), being developed by cowith Perth and Kinross Counci
owner Silver Ridge Power, will sell its
energy to San Diego Gas & Electric
ADVANTAGES OF WIND
when completed next year. It will
POWER:
generate enough power to light 80,000
homes.
1. The wind is free and with modern Google expects the project to create
technology it can be captured
more than 900 construction jobs in
efficiently.
the region and help California meet
2. Once the wind turbine is built the its target of generating one-third of its
energy it produces does not cause
electricity from renewable sources.
green house gases or other pollutants. Kojo Ako-Asare, Head of Corporate
3. Although wind turbines can be very Finance said: “We invest in these
tall each takes up only a small plot of projects because they make business
land. This means that the land below sense, because they help put more
can still be used. This is especially the renewable energy on the grid and
case in agricultural areas as farming because they have a positive impact
can still continue.
on the local economies where they
4. Many people find wind farms an
operate.”
interesting feature of the landscape. Google has invested more than $1
5. Remote areas that are not
billion (£0.6bn) in projects that is
connected to the electricity power grid expected to generate at least 2GW
can use wind turbines to produce their of renewable electricity – enough to
own supply.
power around 500,000 homes.
6. Wind turbines have a role to play in It signed an agreement to buy the
both the developed and third world. entire output from a wind farm in
7. Wind turbines are available in a
Texas last month.