Huge solar farm with 100,000 panels given green light despite criticism

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A giant solar farm, with as many as 100,000 panels, is to be built in the Ayrshire countryside, after the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit gave the proposals the go-ahead.The £50m project is to go ahead on agricultural land to the north of Loch Fergus, 3.3km east of Ayr and just under 1km west of Coylton and take over a 58.2 hectare site.Ayrshire Live can reveal that the solar farm, and associated battery energy storage site (BESS), will take up the size of roughly 150 football pitches and is expected to go live in 2026.

It should provide enough clean energy to power more than 13,000 homes.Behind the ambitious project is Edinburgh-based renewable energy consultancy firm Locogen, who said they expect to make a total investment of £50m into the site.They also revealed that the local community is set to benefit from the green energy scheme’s economic spin-offs.Stuart Hamilton, Head of Development at Locogen, said: “We are delighted to have received planning permission for Loch Fergus Solar Farm.

The project will combine 45MW of solar power with embedded battery storage, generating enough clean energy to power over 13,600 homes and offsetting approximately 19,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.“We expect the project to come online during 2026 and upon completion, the solar farm will generate an estimated 52GWh of