- Montreathmont Solar Farm will generate up to 42 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy
- Approved unanimously by Angus Council committee members
- Community benefit fund of up to £84,000
Angus Council have given the go ahead for a solar farm with battery storage up to 42MW that will power up to 12,000 Scottish homes with clean, home-grown energy. Renewable Connections, one of the UK’s leading solar and battery developers, submitted the application to the Council earlier this year, following a community consultation. It is anticipated construction could commence in 2025.
Montreathmont Solar Farm, is located 13km to the east of Forfar and 6km south of Brechin. The project was approved unanimously at Angus Council’s Development Standards Committee, on the 13th of December 2022 following a recommendation for approval by Council officers. The addition of the battery storage facilities will enable the renewable energy produced by Montreathmont Solar Farm to be used at different times of day and climatic conditions, helping to balance supply and demand in the grid.
John Lindsay, Development Manager for Scotland, at Renewable Connections said: “Locally this project will make a valuable contribution towards Angus Council’s Sustainable Energy & Climate Action Plan. Nationally it will support the Scottish Government’s legally binding target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Over its 40-year lifespan, Montreathmont Solar Farm will displace an estimated 792,000 tonnes of CO2 from fossil fuel sources. This is around the same reduction in carbon emissions as taking 172,000 petrol and diesel cars off the road over the same period of time.
He added: “Throughout the development of this project we have engaged extensively with local people, the Council and statutory consultees. The feedback received has helped shape the final design of the project, which includes proposals to greatly enhance the biodiversity of the area, including the creation of new habitats via wildflower meadow planting, as well as the installation of bat and bird boxes, and other ecological enhancement measures.”
The site originally received planning permission for a 42MW solar farm via another developer in November 2015. In late 2020, Renewable Connections reopened discussions with the landowner and the project was reappraised. The approved application includes flexibility as to whether a fixed or tracking solar panel mounting system is used in order to maximise the potential energy yield from the site and a commitment to provide a community benefit fund of up to £2,000 per MW.
For more information go to: www.montreathmontsolar.co.uk
