Plans for a solar farm encompassing an area of up to 28 football pitches and using 64,000 panels has been submitted for Anglesey in Wales.
The farm will be located on a 30 hectare site, but may only take up 10 hectares of land currently used for sheep, cattle and silage. The solar panels will be set out in 10×3 metre rows, with sheep able to remain on the plot and graze between them.
The Tai Moelion farm near Aberlfraw in Anglesey has been chosen by Bodorgan Environmental Management Ltd for one of the many new solar farm sites across Wales.
The site is expected to be bigger than current sites in Pembrokeshire, located in Clawddcam and St Florence, which together produce 12.5 megawatts (MW) of electricity per year. The Anglesey site is expected to generate 15 MW. The solar farm will be connected to current power lines on the National Grid and provide power for 4,500 homes annually.
Tim Bowrie, agent for the landowners of the Bodorgan Estate, is hopeful that upon acceptance of the plans, the project could be entirely finished within three months.
Sir George Meyrick and Lady Jean Tap Gervis Meyrick currently own the land, which has been in the family for over 1,000 years.
Other options for renewable energy had been considered, but solar power was chosen over wind due to its comparative quietness and having less of an intrusion on the aesthetics of the landscape.
It is the first of a series of initiatives to be introduced by Anglesey Council in its attempts to become an ‘energy island’. Leader of Anglesey Council Bryan Owen spoke of the intention to become one of the forerunners in energy research. Further developments in nuclear, wind, tidal, biomass and solar energy are options the council is currently looking into.
“It’s a mix that we’re looking for. We’ve got wind, solar, bio-mass, nuclear, and off-shore,” said Mr Owens. “We don’t want to throw all our eggs into one basket, that is, nuclear or wind turbines.”