In order to provide solar power to some 3,300 homes in the local area, TGC Renewables has submitted a planning application for an 82 acre site on Hoback Farm, Wimpole.
The project will see up to 55,000 panels being installed in the area, with the sheep that currently graze on the farm able to walk between them.
Up to 13MW of power could be generated from the solar panel allocation. Not only will the project help to provide power and cheaper energy bills to a number of local residents, but could also benefit from income via the government’s feed in tariff.
The farm, located in the south west of Cambridge, will also be able to rake in rental income during the 25 year contract.
It is the latest in TGC Renewables’ portfolio of solar photovoltaic projects, with over 30 MW of power generated from the existing sites.
The project proves that despite recent cuts to solar farm subsidies, the technology remains an attractive prospect for investment.
“The challenge that developers are now rising to is to make the most efficient use of available grid connections," said director at TGC Renewables Rob Denman.
He added: "In practice this means having the expertise to develop multi-MW projects on sites that meet planning and environmental impact assessment criteria, whilst also retaining affordable grid connectivity."
Mr Denman also predicted that in the coming months and years, the trend will turn to larger scale solar farms, with the company already having over 50MW of projects in planning. The aim is to increase this to 100MW over the next year.
The site had been picked due to its location and the minimum impact it will have on the local environment. In order to decrease the visual impact to local residents, it is hoped that plans will be accepted to naturally screen the panels from view.