B-17 Solar Farm

It’s important to Low Carbon that the area is improved for nature and, as part of the planning process, we are required to demonstrate that there will be biodiversity gain on the site.

Across all its sites, Low Carbon works to protect and promote sustainable land use and halt biodiversity loss yet seeking to increase biodiversity through the provision of new habitats, such as hedgerow, trees and wildflower meadows to support pollinators such as bees. It does this by understanding the characteristics of each site location and planting species that are native to that area.

Whilst our focus is on using existing woodland, trees and hedgerows to help to screen projects we also typically plant several hundred meters of new hedgerows and/or trees, leading to a net gain in both landscape and habitat.

Planning conditions tend to require both a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) and a Landscape and Biodiversity Management Plan (LBMP) to be submitted for approval. The former deals with the construction process measures whilst the latter deals with post-construction measures and those throughout the operation of the project.

As standard practice for Low Carbon, the Public Rights of Way (PRoW) which run through the site will be kept open throughout construction and operation of the solar farm.

In some cases, we may need to have a managed crossing on a footpath during construction for safety reasons, such as a temporarily controlled crossing and/or a banksman.

To screen views on footpaths, we will incorporate buffers of meadow planting either side of the footpath and two-metre-thick hedgerow planting. The objective is to obtain a width of approximately 5-10 metres in total, unless there are specific space restrictions on a particular Public Right of Way, thereby maintaining a feeling of openness.

Low Carbon’s solar farms are also home to more than 2 million bees in managed hives, a key action to prevent the extinction of a vital species. The UK has seen a decline in the number of bees in the last few years, however, Low Carbon’s solar sites provide secure environments with readily available food sources. Each of our hives house approximately 60,000 bees and they are tended regularly by trained beekeepers. With the help of our beekeepers, each year we bottle and distribute more than 600 jars of Low Carbon honey to promote the climate change message. We also believe that keeping bees on our sites is setting a positive example within the renewable energy industry.

At our solar sites, Low Carbon is committed to working in partnership with local landowners to provide where possible a unique and innovative space for them to graze their sheep amongst the solar panels.

Grazing sheep at our sites has proved to be hugely popular amongst our landlords for several reasons, notably because the sites are secure which means the sheep are safe and the solar modules provide shelter from the winds and shade from the sun and rain.

Our sites are designed around existing hedgerows and trees. We look
to enhance the site with additional planting of native species of hedgerows, trees, pasture-mix grasses and wildflowers.