South Yorkshire renewable energy project to bring investment and jobs into region

Proposals for a new renewable energy generation and storage project in South Yorkshire have won the backing of a local Rotherham Metropolitan Borough councillor.

Councillor Benjamin Whomersley is supporting the planning application from independent renewable energy firm Banks Renewables for their proposed new solar and battery energy park at a 116-hectare site to the west of the Todwick Road Industrial Estate in Dinnington.

And Cllr Whomersley, who represents the Dinnington Ward, believes that the long-term community improvements that could be secured through the £2m benefits package that would come as part of the project have led many local people to also take a “positive view” of the scheme.

The Common Farm Solar Energy Park would sit around three miles to the east of Banks’ Penny Hill Wind Farm and would have an installed capacity of up to 49MW, along with a 50 MW battery storage facility.

This is enough to meet the average annual electricity requirements of up to 18,800 family homes and would displace over 11,470 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the electricity supply network each year.

As part of the company’s policy of delivering “tangible benefits” to the places in which its operations are based, the project would also deliver an annual package of community benefits totalling £50k, or more than £2m through its lifetime, to support local community projects.

Councillor Benjamin Whomersley commented: “I’m a strong advocate of maximising the use of renewable energy in meeting our current and future energy needs.

“This project would have a strong contribution to make in this respect, while also bringing jobs and investment to the local area, and the benefits package that is part of it could be used to meet a wide range of community improvement priorities for many years to come.

“Many of the local people that I’ve spoken to recognise the positive impact that this funding would have on their community and they’re aligned with it happening. The solar energy park couldn’t be in a better location in terms of being out of the way and I would very much hope to see these plans moving forward in the near future.”

A detailed ecology and biodiversity strategy which would ensure the site delivers a net benefit in biodiversity to the local community also forms part of the Common Farm Solar Energy Park proposal, with the ground around and beneath the solar panels being used to create a wildflower meadow.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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