Tydd Solar - PACE Community Portal
Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE) will be bringing forward an application for Tydd Solar farm, with battery energy storage, on land east of Guanockgate Road, PE12 0LS.
A public exhibition is being held on Thursday 30 November 2023 at Sutton St Edmund Village Hall, 273 Broadgate, Sutton St Edmund, PE12 0LR from 3pm - 7pm.
At the exhibition you will be able to view our proposals, speak to members of the project team and provide feedback. Alternatively, you can complete a feedback form here.
We first published the project in 2022. Since then, we have been undertaking additional assessments and surveys to help inform the design of the proposed solar farm. This website provides some information on our proposals and we hope to see you at our public consultation in November.
As you may know, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently issued stark warnings of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade if urgent action isn’t taken. The Government has committed to a target of “net zero carbon emissions” and a transition away from fossil fuels for energy supply in little more than a decade.
The recent COP26 climate talks recognised that the 2020s are the key decade for taking action to keep global temperatures within 1.5 degrees. In response, the Government has committed to a target of “net zero carbon emissions” and a transition away from fossil fuels for energy supply in little more than a decade. Solar and battery farms, such as that proposed at Guanockgate Road, are a key part of tackling the climate emergency.
The Tydd Solar Farm will be key to addressing these challenges. It will have three main objectives :
Several sites were considered in the area. This site was selected as having few environmental constraints, including ecology, landscape and heritage.
The size of the site presents significant opportunities for biodiversity improvements, including creating new habitats for birds and insects. It will not be necessary to remove any trees and the land beneath the panels will be available for grazing livestock as well as biodiversity improvements.
As a result, PACE believes the proposed development would be in keeping with the character of the area and would make a vital contribution to addressing the climate emergency and taken action on soaring energy bills.
Pathfinder Clean Energy is a UK company with a successful track record of developing solar projects across the UK.
We have a vision, to develop solar energy projects that meet the UK’s rapidly growing need for clean electricity, while working with local communities to maximise positive local impacts for wildlife and for people.
We are committed to that vision, and have a team including ecologists, landscape and heritage specialists, who help ensure our proposals can deliver long term benefits.
We would welcome suggestions from you as to how we can improve our project.
Solar farms are becoming a common feature in the British landscape. They use photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate energy from daylight and distribute it to homes and businesses.
They are necessary because coal power stations are closing and climate change commitments require big increases in renewable energy. Solar energy will also play a big part in addressing rising energy bills.
Batteries store excess power and make it available during periods of high demand. They are housed in small containers within the site.
The UK urgently needs to become more self-sufficient in energy, to reduce reliance on fossil fuel supplies from other nations, and to take action to address rising energy bills. The UK Government has set targets to make the country self-sufficient in energy, and solar projects of all sizes will play a crucial role in achieving that goal.
Solar is the cheapest form of energy generation, and solar projects can be built far more quickly than other technologies, meaning they can have a far more immediate positive impact upon the environment and security of supply. As a result, the Government’s energy security strategy calls for an additional 56GW of solar electricity generation to be up and running by 2035. This will be a significant national challenge, and addressing the critical need to deliver clean, efficient and affordable electricity, will require numerous projects like Tydd Solar to be delivered around the country in the months and years to come.
No harmful greenhouse gas emissions are produced and the development will generate very little noise and will not be heard outside of the site.
At the end of its 40 year operational life, the development will be removed and the site completely restored.
The proposed solar farm will be located in Gorefield on land east of Guanockgate Road.
The solar panels will be ground mounted in south facing rows while the batteries will be housed in containers. The solar panels will not exceed 3.5m in height, while the batteries will not exceed 4m in height.
With proposed mitigation measures in place, views to the development from the surrounding homes, roads and footpaths will be limited.
Below is a selection of computer generated images prepared by PACE to illustrate what the solar farm will look like. Use the slider below to see a recent photograph before (left) and expected view after development (right).
Once operational, solar farms generate almost no traffic. The construction period will last approximately 35 weeks.
The proposal is for construction traffic to approach the site from the east via the A47 and Gull Road, Murrow Bank and The Bank, accessing the site from Guanockgate Road to the east. Construction traffic avoids the settlements of Sutton St Edmund and Gorefield.
During construction, there may be some disturbance on some days. This won’t last long and our aim is to keep it to a minimum. Prior to development we will agree restrictions on working hours.
A management plan will be agreed with the Council prior to starting construction.
Click the image to enlarge, or download a high-res version here.
Tydd solar farm will have the capacity to export just under 50 megawatts of clean, renewable energy which will power the equivalent of over 22,399 households each year.
Solar power has become one of the most cost effective energy sources available. Therefore, it will be built without public subsidies.
Solar and battery farms leave significant scope for biodiversity enhancement. Research has shown they improve the diversity and abundance of broad leaved plants, grasses, butterflies, bumblebees and birds, including those with conservation status. Details of the enhancements we will provide can be found in the graphic, and we would welcome your comments on this.
Agricultural land will not be lost. Small livestock, such as sheep, can graze under and around the solar panels during operation, providing the multiple benefits of agriculture, biodiversity improvements and energy generation. The reduction in intensive agriculture and chemical fertilisers should naturally improve the quality of the soils, leaving them in a better condition at the end of the life of the solar farm.
The rapid construction time provides faster access to renewable power and lowers the nation’s carbon footprint, without creating harmful emissions or noise outside of the solar farm.
Engaging with the community is important to us and we will welcome your feedback on our proposals, along with any suggestions you might have to improve them.
A public exhibition is being held on Thursday 30 November 2023 at Sutton St Edmund Village Hall, 273 Broadgate, Sutton St Edmund, PE12 0LR from 3pm - 7pm. At the exhibition you will be able to view our proposals, speak to members of the project team and provide feedback. Alternatively, you can complete a feedback form here.
It takes the council approximately 13 weeks to decide the application. If approved, further design and management details usually need to be agreed before we can start building, such as construction management and ecological management plans.
PACE will then construct the solar farm. Most deliveries are completed in the first six weeks of a construction period that usually lasts around 35 weeks.
For frequently asked questions, please take a look at the following briefing, published by Solar Energy UK; a trade association for the UK solar sector.
If you have any queries regarding solar power or would like additional information, please contact the community relations team.
Below you can find links to some more detailed plans as they become available. You can view all of our submission documents via the council’s planning portal.
We have commissioned a comprehensive set of surveys to help determine the site area and layout, so that impacts on residents can be minimised, and to identify opportunities for improving the proposals.
The surveys include:
We welcome you to take our short survey here. Alternatively you can email us at communityrelations@tyddsolar.co.uk or give us a call on 0800 3777 348 and we can arrange for someone to call you back.