Green Energy

The proposal will make an important contribution to the United Kingdom’s decarbonisation agenda - to reach net zero by 2050 and to achieve a net zero electricity system by 2030. As we decarbonise the economy and electrify much of our heating, transport and industrial processes, we will need significantly more electricity, which will need to be low carbon, UK-sourced, compatible with biodiversity and cheap. Solar farms will have an important role to play in accelerating this transition to greener energy.

Community Benefit Fund 

Grupotec and REG have a proven history of supporting community projects in the areas surrounding their green energy developments. For the nearby South Sharpley wind turbines, a community benefit fund was established in 2011, administered by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation). To date, over £150,000 has been committed to local community projects, including to the Seaham Harbour Cricket Club, East Durham Heritage Group and Seaton Village Hall.  

If the proposed solar park at Benridge is consented and constructed, Grupotec and REG are committing to establishing a community benefit fund for the local area. The value of the fund would be £500 per MW per year with the possibility to front load a proportion of the fund. The total value of the fund will be calculated following planning consent depending on the total size of the development.  We look forward to hearing ideas for the use of this fund at the consultation event in February.   

Increased Biodiversity 

Solar parks are also a fully reversible form of development allowing the restoration of land to its former use at the end of a project’s operational lifetime. Protected species have been found to be more abundant inside solar parks, compared to land primarily used for agriculture. Increased biodiversity to enhance local wildlife will be included within the proposals and additional hedgerow planting will be delivered as part of the project as well as proposals to increase biodiversity more generally across the site.