Land in Shropshire has been allocated for a brand new solar farm development which will become the first of its kind in the area.
The plans for the multi-million pound development were approved by the local council in January last year. Now, the site which is located just nine miles from Shrewsbury, will see thousands of solar panels added to create huge amounts of clean, renewable energy.
With an area of 54-acres to cover, the total cost of the Westbury based site could cost as much as £12 million to install.
Power generated from the photovoltaics will be fed back into the National Grid and could potentially provide enough energy for 3,000 homes.
Furthermore, the scheme could also help to reduce carbon emissions by a massive 4.5 million kilograms a year for the next two decades.
According to the Shropshire Star, solar panel applications in the region have been increasing over the course of the past ten years. Between 2002-2004, only one application was lodged for the carbon efficient technology. However, this spiked at 94 applications to Shropshire Council by 2011.
The approval for the panels has been praised by regional director for the National Farmer's Union John Mercer.
Speaking to the local news provider, Mr Mercer said: “Shropshire’s agricultural and horticultural buildings present ideal platforms for solar photovoltaics and our farmers are delivering in terms of cleaner energy.
"We are seeing solar used for a variety of purposes – from helping to run poultry heating systems all the way through to those who just want to be a bit more energy efficient.”
The interest of agricultural interest in solar panels was expressed in a study by PR consultancy CCgroup.
In a survey of 130 farmers and landowners, it found that 47 per cent of respondents had used renewable technology and would look into the possibility of doing so again. Furthermore, 39 per cent of those studied would consider investment.